




LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




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FROM CAVE TO PALACE; 


OR, 


THE ANOINTED SHEPHERD. 




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KEY. EDWIN McMINN. 

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PHILADELPHIA : 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
AND SABBATH-SCIIOOL WORK, 

No. 1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 




COPYRIGHT, 1888, BY 

THE TRUSTEES OF THE 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK. 


ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 


Westcott & Thomson, 
Stereotypers and Electrotypers, Philada, 


PREFACE. 


rpHE purpose of this narrative is to give 
a realistic picture of the early life of 
David and of the poverty of his surround- 
ings, contrasted with the splendor of the 
kingdom during the reign of his son. 
There are many Lives of David, but in 
none with which I am acquainted is the 
fact made prominent that the rise of Jeru- 
salem was as wonderful as that of Chicago 
in our day, and the development of Israel- 
itish civilization as remarkable as that of 
the Karens under Christian missionaries. 
This I have endeavored to present. De- 
scriptions of customs and of scenery are 
based on the most trustworthy authori- 
ties. 

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CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Barachel Entertaining the Youth of Jerusalem . 9 

CHAPTER II. 

The Contrast of the Old with the New 20 

CHAPTER III. 

Bethlehem Shepherds and Shepherdesses 31 

CHAPTER IV. 

Bethlehem Boys, and their Sports 43 

CHAPTER V. 

Slaying the Lion and the Bear 63 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Anointing of David 67 

5 


6 


CONTENTS. 


CIIAPTEK VII. 

PAGE 

The King’s Frenzy Controlled 79 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Slaying of Goliath 94 

CHAPTER IX. 

The King’s Treachery 110 

CHAPTER X. 

David’s Marriage and Escape from Saul 121 

CHAPTER XI. 

Refuge with the Lord’s Prophets 135 

CHAPTER XII. 

David and .Ionathan 147 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Vengeance Dealt to the Priests Ifil 

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Madness of David 174 

CHAPTER XV. 

The Outlaw Chieftain 188 


CONTENTS. 


7 


CHAPTEE XVI. 

PAGE 

Guided by the Oracle 201 

CHAPTEE XVII. 

Hunted on the Cliffs 217 

CHAPTEE XXVIII. 

The Prophet’s Burial 233 

CHAPTEE XIX. 

The Wedding in the Forest 246 

CHAPTEE XX. 

Saul’s Last Meeting with David 260 

CHAPTEE XXI. 

The Impending Crisis 272 

CHAPTEE XXII. 

Death of King Saul 288 

CHAPTEE XXIII. 

David at Ziklag 300 

CHAPTEE XXIV. 

David Crowned King in Hebron 314 


8 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE XXV. 

PAGE 

The Coming of the Ambassadors 321 

CHAPTEE XXVI. 

The Queen of Sheba 331 

CHAPTEE XXVII. 

The Glory of Solomon 341 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


CHAPTER I. 

BARACHEL ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH OF 
JERUSALEM. 

T he inhabitants of Jerusalem had for 
many days been making extensive prep- 
arations to celebrate in a becoming manner 
the twenty-first anniversary of the reign of 
their monarch, King Solomon. In their 
estimation he was the most brilliant of all 
earthly kings, and his kingdom was unsur- 
passed for splendor. In these opinions they 
were confirmed by the reports of travelers 
who, having gone through the greatest cities 
of the earth, confessed that for real grandeur 
King Solomon’s exceeded them all. Now, 
on the anniversary of his reign, the king 
was about to receive embassies from foreign 
powers and in their presence to review his 
armies, to feast the people of Jerusalem and 


10 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


tlieir visitors for seven days, thus giving an 
exhibition of his magnificent hospitality, 
and also to render appropriate thanks to 
God, who had given him so many blessings. 

The people heartily entered into the spirit 
of these preparations, and every man tried 
so to decorate his own house as to add to 
the general attractiveness of the city, and 
at the same time to satisfy his own pride by 
a display before his neighbors of the wealth 
which he or his fathers had been able to 
gather from the spoils of war or by the 
traffic with caravans from distant places. 

From every part of the kingdom repre- 
sentative soldiers had come to appear in the 
grand parade, the various sections being 
distinguished by differently-colored or dif- 
ferently-shaped scarfs and girdles; for, al- 
though a man of peace, Solomon kept his 
army in constant readiness to meet a foe if 
such should be bold enough to attack any 
part of the kingdom. 

The people of Jerusalem were a commer- 
cial people, and they lined their streets with 
shops which glittered with the wealth of all 
nations. Many of them — sons of David’s 


ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH. 


11 


brave soldiers — displayed with a laudable 
pride the weapons by which their fathers 
had won battles, suspended as ornamental 
decorations over their fabrics, thus clearly 
illustrating the benefits of peace which had 
come through these victories. 

There were many old men in Jerusalem 
who remembered the day, more than fifty 
years before, when David was crowned king 
of Israel, and they could tell the story of the 
marvelous development of the city, which 
was now radiant with beauty, and of the 
people, who were now basking in such 
luxury. 

Barachel, an aged citizen of Jerusalem, 
was walking about the city listening to the 
talk of the young men, who, gathering in 
front of the shops in the merchants’ quarter, 
were boasting to one another of the prepara- 
tions they had made for the coming festivi- 
ties. S^)me of them, seeing him and know- 
ing him to have been one of David’s sol- 
diers, and honoring him — as in that day was 
tlie custom of the young men toward the 
aged — asked him to sit down in their midst 
and tell them what he thought of their 


12 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


glorious city. Barachel, smiling, accepted 
the offered divan and reclined upon it, for 
he was weary with his long walking and 
much sightseeing. When the young men 
had pressed him to tell them what he 
thought of so much magnificence, he replied 
that all he saw about him led him to think 
of the tales told by the minstrels of the 
power exercised by invisible beings in sud- 
denly bringing into reality the dreams and 
desires of the people whom they favored. 

‘‘For,’’ said he, “the city of Jerusalem is 
not only the most magnificent on the earth, 
but its rise and its development have been 
most wonderful, and its greatness is so ex- 
alted that in the future monarchs will strive 
in vain to equal it : it cannot be surpassed.” 

The young men gathered the more closely 
around Barachel when he had uttered these 
words, for they saw by his manner that he 
was about to tell them something of great 
interest. He then continued : 

“To let you know how wonderful have 
been the changes, we will look back fifty 
years, for I well remember the events of 
that time; indeed, they seem to have been 


ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH. 


13 


but yesterday. David had been the king 
of Judah for seven years, and his royal 
court was then held in Hebron, the ancient 
priestly city of Judah. But when the ten 
tribes had crowned him king, he decided to 
move his court toward the centre of the 
land, so that all the tribes might the more 
freely come to him. When he looked about 
for a favorable place to build his city, he 
saw the towering fortress of the Jebusites, 
garrisoned by a people who, because of its 
strength, had never been driven out of it. 

“ The south wall of their fortress stood on 
the verge of a steep bluff several hundred 
feet high, and the north wall was well 
defended by strong and solid bulwarks of 
stone. The Jebusites prided themselves on 
the possession of this fortress, and would 
not for any consideration part with it ; 
but David determined that he would have 
it, for in all the land no spot was so well 
adapted by nature for defence, for, being a 
mountain-city, it would be unapproachable 
by foes. David, therefore, put his soldiers 
against the castle, and they battled valiantly 
until Joab, their commander, climbed the 


14 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


wall and, with his troop entering the fort- 
ress, captured it. 

‘‘The fortress of the Jebusites was dis- 
mantled; their dwellings, which had been 
broken down in the siege, were in ashes. 
The city of Nob, that had stood on one of the 
hills near by and had been destroyed many 
years before by Saul, still revealed its loca- 
tion by its ruins. The cliffs over the valley 
were abrupt and the great rock of the Jebu- 
sites stood surrounded with deep ravines, yet 
David encamped near by, and, having not 
much more than a handful of enthusiastic 
men following whither he led, exclaimed, 
‘ This shall be my city, and it shall be 
known throughout all nations as the citv of 
David.’ 

“ Our ideas of a city in that day were very 
crude. Some of us thought of Gath or 
Gaza ; we knew of nothing greater. We could 
not even imagine such prosperity as would 
enable our king to build a city among moun- 
tain-ravines and on lofty cliffs equal to a 
city of the wealthy Philistines. We were as 
children in our thoughts. But now what do 
we see? Glorious Jerusalem ! In that day 


ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH. 


15 


we knew nothing of the luxury to which you 
young men are now accustomed ; we were 
almost as bare of luxuries as are the slaves 
of the Egyptians. Our houses were of stone, 
and were not much more than sleeping- 
places ; our garments, which any housewife 
could weave, were of the most simple ma- 
terials ; our weapons were often only clubs or 
spears with stone points ; and the men al- 
ways went from place to place on foot, while 
the women either walked or rode on asses. 

‘‘ Blit the changes which these fifty years 
have brought about are beyond imagination. 
If I had not been a witness I would think 
the accounts of them a wizard’s dream, but 
my eyes tell me they are true. Jerusalem is 
indeed the greatest city on the earth. I have 
heard of Tyre, of Ashdod, of Gath, of 
Gaza, of Troy, of Thebes, of Babylon, of 
Nineveh, Memphis, Zoan and Sheba ; I 
know not if there are any other great cities. 
There are plenty of smaller cities, such as 
Damascus and Elath and Carthage, but it 
would take many of these to make a city 
like Jerusalem, the glory of which no king- 
dom on the earth can equal. 


16 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


It was King David who foresaw this and 
builded the foundation for it. Looking to 
the consummation of its glory, he gathered 
the wealth of nations together, so that Solo- 
mon might finish the work he had begun. 
Then on that day when David stood on the 
rock- wall of the conquered Jebusite fortress 
he saw behind him the feeble steps of his 
people struggling for a foothold, while before 
him he saw the glory of the whole earth 
coming to bow at that very spot in admira- 
tion of his people and in worship of Jeho- 
vah his Lord.” 

The words of the old man were now in- 
terrupted by the shouts of an approaching 
multitude, and as it drew near his auditors 
saw that it was King Solomon, with some of 
his court, on his way to his gardens beyond 
the walls of the city, and, as usual, the peo- 
ple of the city were shouting his praises as 
he passed along. As he came near the 
group the young men began to chant a fa- 
miliar chorus in his honor, their musical 
voices blending harmoniously, thus manifest- 
ing the respect which they delighted to ren- 
der to their king. 


ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH. 


17 


The king was riding upon his favorite 
mule — the most beautiful creature of the 
kind that could be obtained — and its harness 
glittered with gold and precious stones ; in- 
deed, everything about Solomon was clothed 
in beauty and magnificence. 

Solomon himself was clad in snow-white 
raiment of the finest linen. His bodyguard, 
consisting of threescore valiant men selected 
out of the hosts of Israel because of their 
youthful freshness, their tall figures and their 
perfect physical development, were clothed 
in Tyrian purple, and every day their long 
black hair was freshly sprinkled with the 
finest gold-dust. Behind his bodyguard 
came a troop of servants handsomely clad, 
having in charge his baggage, and also his 
royal chariot, which was made of cedar, orna- 
mented with silver and gold and purple, and 
lined and carpeted with the costliest tapestry, 
which the most favored of the daughters of 
Jerusalem had been privileged to work for 
their king. 

But Solomon was himself the most beauti- 
ful of all the sons of Israel, and the grace of 
his presence was intensely fascinating to his 
2 


18 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


people. The poets sang of him as being 
“ fairer than the children of men/’ with his 
face ‘‘ bright and ruddy/’ as was the face of 
his father. His hair was in bushy locks 
as dark as the raven’s wing, and, sprink- 
led daily with the finest gold-dust, its in- 
tense blackness intermingled with the golden 
splendor. His eyes were “ the eyes of doves, 
and his countenance was as Lebanon, excellent 
as the cedar,” but his face was most beautiful 
when illuminated with flashes of thought as 
he beheld some new object in nature or re- 
ceived some new inspiration by the working 
of his ever-active mind. 

When the king had passed, the young 
men once more gathered about the aged 
Barachel, who continued: 

You have been enraptured by the beauty 
of your king — truly the one altogether love- 
ly — but you should know that kingly ex- 
cellence has ever been the glory of our na- 
tion. King Saul was the most majestic man 
in all the hosts of Israel, and when his fierce 
spirit was aroused he resembled the lightning 
in his glance; David was so beautifiil that 
the hearts of women everywhere inclined 


ENTERTAINING THE YOUTH. 


19 


toward him, and it was thought strange that 
one so gifted with beauty could be a soldier 
and find delight in the rough ways of battle; 
Absalom, also, was so beautiful that he stole 
the hearts of the people and made them sick 
with love : only Joab, the fierce soldier who 
loved the havoc of war and valued not the 
life of his fellows, could resist the attract- 
iveness of Absalom, and even he at one 
time was under the spell ; but Solomon, 
surrounded by luxury, had his excellent 
qualities and personal beauty cultivated from 
infancy. As the power of the king increased 
the means of developing that beauty in- 
creased in proportion, and the wonderful gifts 
of nature, adorned by the skill of art, have 
forbade the poets going beyond Solomon for 
a hero in their songs of beauty and of love.’’ 

The discourse was now interrupted by 
Barachel’s servant coming for his master — 
a welcome interruption to the aged man, who 
was greatly fatigued by his conversation. 
The young men respectfully thanked him 
for his kindness, and, helping him on his 
mule, bade his servant tenderly guard him 
on the way to his home. 


CHAPTER II. 

THE CONTRAST OF THE OLD WITH THE NEW, 

T he following day Baracliel was standing 
upon the hill to the north-east of the 
city, when, with loud greetings, the same 
young men with whom he had conversed in 
Jerusalem came up to him and requested 
that he would again speak to them of the 
past. Nothing loth to j)lease them, he said, 
‘‘We are now standing upon the spot 
where stood the tabernacle in the days of 
King Saul, and here dwelt the priests until 
Saul in his anger destroyed them root and 
branch, only Abiathar, the son of the high 
priest, escaping his wrath. It is painful to 
recall those days, yet before us we see how 
wonderfully God has blessed his people; for, 
standing here where the blood of the de- 
fenceless priests was shed, we can gaze upon 
the temple than which the whole earth can 
20 


CONTRAST OF OLD WITH NEW. 


21 


show nothing more elaborate or more beau- 
tiful. It is the glory of our city, of our 
nation and of our religion, and all who visit 
Jerusalem are astonished at the wealth and 
the taste of our worship. In the days to 
come nations shall rise in lands toward the 
setting sun, and they shall try to excel this 
beautiful temple, but none of them will ever 
be able to say, ‘ Our worship exceeds that of 
Solomon,’ for with us is the truth and unto 
us hath the arm of the Lord been revealed. 

“ The tabernacle that stood here when 
this spot was known as ‘ the city of Nob ’ — 
the citadel of the Jebusites stood where 
Jerusalem now glitters in splendor — was 
old, faded and almost forsaken by the peo- 
ple. The ark had been taken from it when 
it stood at Shiloh ; then the tent had been 
brought to this place. Only a remnant 
of the priesthood dwelt here, for, the gifts 
of the people falling off, the priests betook 
themselves to their various cities and engaged 
in other labors to earn their bread. Then, 
when Saul cut off Abimelech, destroyed his 
entire following and took the tent to Gibeah, 
this place was one of the most desolate in 


22 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


the land, and it did seem as if the Lord had 
forgotten his people. When Saul was de- 
feated by the Philistines and the royal 
family lost their lives, a dense gloom settled 
all over the land, and the only bright spot 
was the star in the south, which in Hebron 
shone with a steady and increasing light. 
Now contrast with that day of gloom this 
present glory which we see so plainly before 
us, and thus learn that, however deep the 
darkness, God preserves a light for his 
people; and if they will trust in him, he 
will bring them into the most exalted honor. 

“ David established the power of the king- 
dom, and during his reign the city grew 
wonderfully ; but God commanded that he 
should only gather materials for the temple, 
and that his son, a man of peace, should 
erect the building. When Solomon had 
established himself upon the throne, he 
built this temple, and then dedicated it to 
the Lord Jehovah, the Lord of his fathers. 
Solomon was king for three years before he 
began to carry out the plans of his father 
for erecting the temple, but these years were 
spent in extensive preparations. After the 


CONTRAST OF OLD WITH NEW. 


23 


building was begun it seemed to rise as if 
by magic. It grew silently, for not the 
sound of a hammer was heard while it was 
being built, and yet the great stones were 
placed so closely together that unless by 
careful search one could not tell where they 
were joined. Wliat times were those ! Solo- 
mon took all the Canaanites left in the land 
and made them his servants, for he would 
not compel his brethren in Israel to do 
menial work. He obtained skilled work- 
men from the king of Tyre to do the elabo- 
rate carving and the finer work, as in all 
Israel there were none capable of doing this, 
for the oppressions of the Philistines had 
prevented the people from continuing in 
trades or erecting palaces or large build- 
ings of any kind. Yet the man placed over 
all the work was an Israelite, but he had 
dwelt in the borders of Tyre, and had been 
trained there. Thousands after thousands 
of men were sent to the lofty hills of Leb- 
anon to cut cedars, and other thousands of 
men were sent to the finest quarries for 
marble to build the walls ; hundreds of 
caravans from distant nations came bring- 


24 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


ing gold until the work was done. There 
we see it, with its white marble walls rising 
up hundreds of feet above the precipices of 
the valley. How the roof sparkles with its 
covering of gold ! and all the floors are of 
gold ; it is gold inside and out. Supporting 
the floors and dividing the rooms are im- 
mense beams cut into shape out of great 
trees such as were never before seen except 
in the forests of Lebanon. It took thou- 
sands of men to cut them down, carry them 
to the sea, float them to Joppa, then to drag 
them up to Jerusalem and finally put them 
in their places. Not only are the walls and 
the floors, but the utensils also, of the tem- 
ple of pure gold or of richest silver. Of 
these each kind is numbered by thousands 
upon thousands, while in David’s youth not 
one such precious vessel was to be seen by 
the people. The curtains, too, are of finest 
linen, exquisitely embroidered and of bright- 
est colors. See how the altar sends up to- 
ward heaven its constant smoke of offered 
sacrifices ! This altar is of the finest brass ; 
its utensils are of the same material, and in 
splendor it seeks to rival the gold. Look 


CONTRAST OF OLD WITH NEW. 


25 


at the long train of priests ; for Solomon 
has continued the order his father established, 
and has brought to Jerusalem from their 
cities all the priests to serve in the work of 
the Lord and to chant his praises.” 

For a few moments Barachel was silent 
as he and the young men gazed upon the 
beautiful city. They watched the smoke of 
sacrifice rolling up in even column from the 
great brazen altar; they saw the crowd of 
people waiting while busy priests presented 
their offerings; they even heard the dull 
rumbling noise of the people as they attended 
to their duties or shouted their praises at the 
appearance of some of the ambassadors from 
foreign lands who had come up to the king’s 
great reception -festival. As they gazed upon 
the city they all felt the spell of its grandeur, 
for the temple was not the only edifice of 
which it could boast. 

Then Barachel said. 

Look, lads, upon the magnificent city ! 
Her walls and her palaces before you stand. 
Mark well her bulwarks, for there is no city 
like her. See the marble palaces of the 
king’s mighty men, of the merchant-princes 


26 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and of the officers of the court, and see, 
too, the king’s House of Lebanon. How 
thoroughly they cover the hills, with great 
bridges stretched across the intervening val- 
leys ! Behold the great stone watercourses 
by which the purest water is supplied to all 
parts of the city ! Every spot is occupied 
with strong and beautiful residences, as if in 
Jerusalem there are no poor, but all are rich. 
I remember the day when the smallest of the 
palaces before us would far have exceeded the 
most stately residence of the king or of any 
subject in Israel. 

“ When the Philistines came into the land 
to harass us, they found that most of the 
people had fled to the caves or the ravines 
in the mountains ; that those who dwelt in 
towns dwelt in houses without ornament of 
any kind — only four strong walls and a roof 
over them — and spent nearly all their time 
out of doors; that this spot of Jerusalem 
was bare except for the castle and the few 
huts of the Jebusites, who openly scorned 
the poverty and weakness of the Israelites. 
Then the power was down in the plains. 
The Philistines were masters of everything; 


CONTRAST OF OLD WITH NEW. 


27 


and whenever an Israelite returned from 
the plains to his home, his neighbors would 
cluster around him to hear him tell of the 
luxury, the beauty and the art which those 
heathen manifested in their cities. Little 
did they imagine that in one man’s lifetime 
Jerusalem would be grander than any of 
their cities and her palaces would be the 
admiration of all travelers.” 

The attention of the party was now at- 
tracted to a strange cavalcade approaching 
from the south ; this they soon perceived 
to be a large number of horsemen on noble 
horses coming to Jerusalem, in obedience 
to the command of the king, to prepare 
for the parade on the great day now so 
near at hand. These horsemen presented a 
very attractive appearance, and as they moved 
along the people came out from their houses 
into the fields to see them — or, rather, to see 
their horses, for to the people the horse was 
the noblest of animals, although it did not 
fill them with fear, as did the lion, the tiger 
and the bear which were in the museum be- 
longing to the royal court. As the horses 
pranced along they seemed to be endowed 


28 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


with sense, and their appearance of beauty, 
pride and strength captivated every one — 
bodies so smooth and shining, limbs so well 
shaped and muscular, necks arched so proud- 
ly, manes flowing so gracefully, tails almost 
touching the ground in their sweep, eyes 
flashing, their whole manner full of freedom 
as they snorted and reared upon their hind 
feet, seemingly unwilling to be controlled. 

Barachel watched the horsemen until they 
were beyond his sight, then said, 

‘‘ This is another of the wonderful changes 
in Israel, for in the days of my youth we in 
the mountains of our land did not know 
what a horse was. We knew that horses 
were in great demand in Egypt, and that 
sometimes the caravans from the far East took 
troops of horses into that country ; but they 
always passed through the plains. We only 
understood that the laws of our fathers for- 
bade the use of horses by the children of Is- 
rael. To-day we see them in great troops, for 
King Solomon has thousands of horses, with 
elaborate stalls for them and thousands of 
servants to attend to them. He keeps them 
to increase the majesty of his state. And, 


CONTRAST OF OLD WITH NEW. 


29 


indeed, he can have no other use for them : 
they are too high-spirited to be used in till- 
ing the land ; they are fit only for war, and 
of this they seem to be especially fond, for 
when drawing their chariots they display 
every grace of motion, and when they hear 
the sound of the battle afar off they cannot 
be restrained, but wish immediately to rush 
into the thickest of the fight. The trumpet’s 
call is understood by them as well as it is by 
the men, and by it they are directed and 
controlled. They are beautiful in peace and 
in parade, with their handsome trappings 
and their gilded harness, but they are terri- 
ble in battle and swift as the wind in bearing 
into the midst of the foe. I verily believe 
that David never saw a horse until after he 
was crowned king, for in his day the sol- 
diers went on foot into battle, or they traveled 
on camels from place to place ; women rode 
on asses ; oxen were used to till the ground 
and to bear the burdens. But it is late ; let 
us go down into the city.” 

With these words all returned to their 
homes. The young men carefully attended 
their aged friend even to his own door, and 


30 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


then were rejoiced in receiving from him a 
promise that he would relate to them his 
recollections of the youth of David, who, 
although deceased, was still to him the great 
king. 

As there were many days before the feast, 
there would be abundant opportunity for 
Barachel to redeem this promise. He was 
desirous of imparting his recollections because 
not only would it be a blessing to the young 
men to have a correct knowledge of David, 
but the relation would renew his own youth 
by reproducing the scenes of former days. 
Long into the hours of the night he lay 
upon his bed sleepless, recalling the stirring 
scenes of his youth. 


CHAPTER III. 

BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS AND SHEPHERD- 
ESSES. 

T the appointed hour the young men 



came to BarachePs residence, and in a 
short time he was ready to go with them ; 
for he had said, 

Out upon the hillside, beneath the shel- 
tering foliage of the olive trees, while gazing 
upon the hills and the plains of the country 
round about Jerusalem, we can the better en- 
joy the story of the life of our gifted hero.’’ 

The friends went onward until they found 
a pleasant place from which they could see 
in the distance the white walls of Bethlehem, 
and near it, in the fertile valley, the gardens 
of King Solomon, while toward the south- 
east a towering mountain rose like a solitary 
watch-tower far above all the hills about it, 
and even to its summit showed the richest of 
vineyards and the best of pasture-lands. 


31 


32 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Barachel bade the young men look well 
upon this picture, for it was the place of 
David’s childhood, and he said, 

‘‘ I will try to bring before you a scene in 
David’s daily life when, only a mere boy, he 
was the darling of his mother, but so much 
younger than his brothers that all the hon- 
ors of the family were conferred upon them. 
David was sent to keep the sheep, and this 
he did with the spirit of a hero. The shad- 
ows were lengthening on the east of the 
great oak trees which skirted the road lead- 
ing from Hebron to Bethlehem as the quiet 
of the scene was broken by shouts and laugh- 
ter from many merry girls and boys, -who 
were rapidly hurrying forward with their 
flocks to water them from the great cistern 
by the gate of the town, after which they 
would drive them for the night into the safe 
folds within the gate of Bethlehem. The 
shepherds and shepherdesses gayly called 
to one another, uttered their jokes about one 
another’s flocks, and in various ways showed 
the most cordial good-will toward one an- 
other, for they were all of good families, and 
as companions met in the gate of their town 


BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS. 


33 


under the approving smiles of their dignified 
elders. 

“ When now the different groups gath- 
ered about the cisterns and took turns in 
watering their fiocks, one bright-eyed maid- 
en, glancing over hill and dale, lost the 
sparkling smile from her face as she re- 
marked to her companion, 

“ ‘ David is late in coming ; I see him not, 
although I have carefully looked in every 
direction. I have not seen even the trace 
of his flock.’ 

‘‘ The girl’s companion smiled as she re- 
plied : 

“ ‘ Why so anxious about David ? Have 
his tender words reached thine heart? Is 
his smile the sunlight of thy life ? Surely 
I have more than once seen thy face illu- 
mined when he approached. But hark ! 
what is that I hear? Is it not the notes of his 
evening-song ? Ah ! I see by the brightness 
of thy look that thou knowest the sound of 
his voice and the music of his reeds, and 
they delight thy soul. See ! there he comes. 
How tenderly he leads his lambs ! and how 
closely they walk by his side, as if they too 


34 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


delighted in the sweet music accompanying 
their march ! But tell me, sister : is David 
more to thee than are any of the other young 
men V 

“The fair shepherdess thus questioned 
blushed as she turned partly aside and in a 
low tone replied : 

“ David seems gentler than do the others. 
When he talks to us he does not shout at us 
and hurt our arms by his rude grasp or push 
us away from the cistern to get his own flock 
first ; but he lets us go ahead, tells us pretty 
stories and sings us sweet songs that charm 
away our weariness and make us feel glad. 
Then he never hurts any one; he often 
helps the girls in watering their flocks, and 
he takes good care of his lambs. So we 
like David the best of all. Sometimes he 
does not come in with his sheep, but stays 
out on the mountain. Then the rude fellows 
with their flocks push us aside, and we are 
afraid ; but when David is here, he helps us, 
and the sons of Belial dare not drive us away, 
for David is stronger than any of them.’ 

“ The conversation of the girls now 
ceased, for their turn had come to water 


BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS. 35 

their flocks, and they approached the mouth 
of the great cistern. 

“ Nowhere in the Promised Land could 
purer or sweeter water be found than this in 
the cisterns of Bethlehem. It came from 
the gushing fountains of Etam, and by a 
conduit formed of small stones it was 
brought to these cisterns at the gate of the 
town. So plentiful was it that it overflowed 
and irrigated the whole of the pleasant 
valley below the town, making it appear as 
a garden, with its vineyards, olive-yards, 
wheatflelds and groves of mighty oaks. 
The valley appeared even the more beauti- 
ful because it was just on the border of the 
wilderness, whose wildness and desolation were 
unequaled in any other part of the land. 

“David soon brought his flock near to 
the cistern, then, himself coming to it, 
saluted the maidens and helped them water 
their flocks. The dress of these maidens 
was the ordinary linen tunic, coarse and 
strong; it reached from their shoulders to 
their ankles and had a fringed border of 
some bright color. The tunic was blue and 
the waist was girdled with a red sash, be- 


36 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


neath which the tunic was gathered in neat 
folds. They all wore sandals tied on their 
feet by thongs, both thongs and sandals 
being made from the skins of animals. 
While they were watering their flocks other 
maidens came out of the town with their 
coarse, thin water-jars on their shoulders to 
obtain water for their households. These, 
however, differed from the shepherdesses in 
wearing jewels — necklaces, earrings, anklets 
and finger- and arm-ornaments. They were 
very proud of their jewelry, and as they 
passed through the gate or loitered by the 
well they took especial delight in showing 
their possessions. David — as did the other 
men, who were accustomed to climb the rocks 
and who were fond of gorgeous colors — 
wore a bright-red girdle, into which his 
tunic was gathered in such a way as to give 
freedom to his limbs as he ran along the 
rocks or over the plains. In his hand he 
carried his staff, or crook, with which he 
guided his flock, and in the folds of his 
tunic was the musical reed which he had 
made to amuse himself while watching his 
flock in their pasturing. 


BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS. 37 

‘‘ When the flocks were all watered they 
were led into the town, each shepherd guid- 
ing the flock under his care into its own 
walled enclosure. After the evening meal, 
wrapped in the tunic and wimple he had 
worn during the day, each lay down within 
the same fold with his flock, to sleep until 
the first streaks of dawn should arouse him 
to show him the way to his pasture-flelds. 

“ The shepherds’ mode of living, like their 
dress, was very plain. The carrying of the 
water and the grinding of the meal were 
done by the women. In this latter work 
two women sat opposite each other, while 
between them was the mill, the lower stone, 
of a hard quality of rock, heavy and station- 
£try ; the upper stone — into a hole in which 
the grain was poured — lighter and softer, 
and by a handle attached to it it was pushed 
to and fro, and thus the grain was crushed 
ready for the baking. The flour was then 
mixed with oil or with water and on small 
pieces of pottery baked hard, and then eaten. 
Simplicity characterized all the habits of 
these people, who only on extra occasions 
sifted the flour or added to the repast any- 


38 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


thing besides the coarse wheaten or barley 
cakes. 

“ Ruth, the fair maiden who on the pre- 
ceding evening had so greatly admired 
David, began this day with happiest thoughts, 
for a number of shepherds were to pasture 
their flocks side by side, and she would have 
the felicitous privilege of joining David in 
singing the songs with which he so happily 
diversified his time. They were going be- 
yond the plains just below the town, which 
were owned by different persons, to the 
mountain-side on the border of the wilder- 
ness, which was common pasturage. The 
place to which they were going was one of 
the highest tells, or mountains, in the land. 
It was in shape like a volcano, and was four 
hundred feet high. It rose like a great 
watch-tower, and it was famed in the history 
of the land as a site for beacon-fires. It 
was only two hours’ walk from the town, and 
the shepherds anticipated great pleasure in 
ascending its verdant slopes, in beholding 
the charming scenery on every side and in 
picnicking beneath its huge oak trees. Early 
in the morning they passed out of the gate, 


BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS. 


39 


down the valley by the wheatfields, over the 
hill toward Tekoa, crossing the deep ravine 
of Khureitun, and then up the slopes of the 
lofty mountain. They led their flocks past 
vineyards and groves of olives up to the 
border-line, where the tangled thickets in- 
dicated the common pasturage, and here 
they seated themselves on the rocks or be- 
neath the oaks, while their trusting flocks 
contentedly browsed about them. 

‘‘ As the shepherds came from their homes 
Ruth plucked many a flower by the wayside, 
such as the gorgeous scarlet anemone, yellow 
and blue pimpernels, hyacinths and lovely 
pink campions ; and when they reached 
their destination she wove them into a crown 
and placed it on the head of her friend. 
The other girls followed her example and 
crowned their shepherd-lads in the same 
manner, emulating one another in the rich- 
ness of their wreaths. When they lacked 
favorite flowers which they desired, they 
sent the lads to find them, under penalty of 
forfeiting their crowns if they returned with- 
out them. 

‘‘ How wonderfully life broadened out on 


40 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


this grand towering mountain, with its vast 
view in every direction ! David was a guide 
well qualified to describe the scenes spread 
out, for he had carefully studied them, though 
he did not know that his own fair, peaceful 
life would be so changed that in every direc- 
tion, over every hilltop and in every ravine, 
he would be hunted by foes thirsting for his 
blood. But now, with Buth by his side and 
the group of companions about them, he tells 
them of the bleak wdlds beneath them. To- 
ward the south it appeared to be a great 
plain of dark umber-hued herbage, spreading 
for miles, with a slight depression in the east; 
this was toward Hebron, the city so famous 
in the history of their tribe. Beyond this 
rolling plain rises tier after tier of low flat- 
topped marly hills, their flanks scarped and 
washed bare in their steeper portions, gleam- 
ing a pure white, but the bright color only 
adding effect to the desolation of the land- 
scape. Three or four of these parallel 
ranges can be distinguished, and then, deep 
down, the blue of the sea behind them, with 
a faint haze caused by the evaporation, and 
the straight line of Moab several hundred 


BETHLEHEM SHEPHERDS. 


41 


feet above. To the east were the dreary 
desolations of deep ravines, rocky cliffs, 
awful chasms and mountain-wastes, border- 
ing the salt sea and extending clear up to 
Jericho. But it was from the other side, 
toward the north and the west, that the 
land appeared in all its richness as a land 
of milk and honey, for here were the gather- 
ing-places of the tribes and the places in 
which their heroes had won imperishable 
renown. Here, too, were enemies yet to be 
conquered, and even now their fortresses 
could be seen. 

“How brave and beautiful David seemed 
to Buth as she looked upon him and lis- 
tened to him while he stood on a rock and 
described to her the land ! Lad though he 
was, a patriotic feeling seemed to inspire 
him as he pointed toward the hitherto 
impregnable fortress of the Jebusites, and 
prophesied that the day would come when it 
should be cast into the valley beneath it, or, 
turning toward the west, said that the deeds 
of Samson should be excelled and the Philis- 
tines should be driven out of the land. As 
David thus spoke Buth did not doubt, for 


42 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


surely he would be the hero to bring deliv- 
erance, although now he was only a lad with 
bright eyes flashing, golden hair waving 
over his shoulders, beardless face ruddy and 
smooth, yet muscular in every limb and al- 
ready possessing the spirit of a man. 

‘‘ Beneath the oaks they ate their barley- 
cakes and the fruit which they had plucked 
from the vines and the trees on the moun- 
tain ; then, when the sun began to approach 
the western horizon, they slowly moved 
down the mountain-side and passed along 
the hard, steep path toward their homes. As 
they journeyed they joined in song, David, 
accompanying his sweet voice with the string- 
ed instrument he had made, leading them. 
When they came into the main road from 
Hebron to Gibeah, a group of travelers pass- 
ing toward the king’s city stopped and lis- 
tened to them, and one of them — a courtier of 
King Saul — was so pleased with the music 
produced by David that on returning to the 
king’s court he spoke of the shepherd- son 
of Jesse as the sweetest singer in Israel.” 


CHAPTER IV. 

BETHLEHEM BOYS, AND THEIR SPORTS. 

‘‘TAAVID was the recipient of the tender 
affection of the women and the maidens 
not only on account of his gentle, winning 
ways, but also because he was one of the 
boldest and bravest of the lads. The elders 
were not inclined to look for stirring events 
in the lives of the females or in those of the 
lads who were too young to be soldiers and 
fit only to tend the sheep ; so that David’s 
life might be marked by many feats of dar- 
ing and only the girls, the slaves or the other 
young lads know of them. Another feature 
that seemed to operate against him was his 
mystical tendency ; he was a dreamer, and 
he expressed the peculiar working of his 
mind in music and in poetry. The beauties 
of nature called him to live in harmony 
with the gentle and the pure. He knew but 
little of life beyond his own neighborhood ; 

43 


44 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


he had seen only afar off the hills and the 
mountains upon which dwelt other people, 
and, although he had been near the borders 
of the Philistine plain in gleaning-tiine, he 
knew nothing of the splendor of the Philis- 
tines’ cities except as he had heard his older 
brothers describing it. He knew more of 
the salt lake toward the east. 

An expedition to the beautiful lake in the 
midst of the mountains was an event of great 
importance to the lads of Bethlehem. They 
had searched every nook in the rocks near 
their homes, and with enthusiasm sought 
new adventures in strange clefts and upon 
the lofty cliffs which bordered this mysteri- 
ous body of water. What a scene, when 
first beheld, to impress the memory ! — the 
rugged descent to the edge of the lake 
through the awful gorge of the Kedron : 
the appearance of the calm blue waters with- 
out a ripple on the surface except when a 
storm of wind sweeping down upon it would 
drive the angry waves high and strong, so as 
to threaten whatever life may be upon its 
bosom ; the narrow line of driftwood at the 
base of the rocks on the narrow shore ; the 


BETHLEHEM BOYS. 


45 


great wall of rock on the eastern side — ver- 
tical cliffs, they seemed to be, twelve or fifteen 
hundred feet above the water, and the water 
as deep as these cliffs were high, and yet 
their tops about on a level with the surface of 
the greater blue sea by the plain of the Phil- 
istines ; the mountains — on the eastern side 
of a reddish color, while on the western 
they were of a glistening white — and far- 
away to the south the great white tongue of 
land stretching into the lake, and still far- 
ther below that the mountains of salt in 
cones and in pillars rising to a height of sev- 
eral hundred feet; all the bordering rocks 
bare except where the rivers forced their way 
down deep gulleys to empty their burdens 
into the lake, or on the western shore here 
and there a fountain surrounded with its 
green patch of verdure. 

“ But, blue and beautiful though the water 
looked, it was the most peculiar in the world. 
The smell of sulphur was strong all along 
the shores of the lake ; a mist which caused 
most wonderful mirage-appearances, attract- 
ing and delighting the beholder, hovered like 
a succession of huge water-spouts above its 


46 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


surface. There were birds along the shore, 
and small animals which made their homes 
in the rocks, but they were hard to see, for 
on the western side they were of the same 
color as the great cliffs in which they made 
their homes. The water was so heavy with 
salt that neither man nor animal could 
sink in it, but would get only half sub- 
merged. And what fun it was for the lads 
to try their skill in floating on the surface ! 

“ The lake was merely the bottom of the 
great mountain-gorge, and the hot sun, pour- 
ing its rays into the gorge, above the waters, 
blistered all the surface of the steep rock- 
walls and made the temperature of the lake- 
valley like that of a furnace. The white 
walls on the west side belonged to Israel 
and the reddish walls on the east side be- 
longed to Moab, while all the tribes of the 
neighboring desert claimed the right to the 
lower part of the lake, on the south, where 
they obtained their supplies of salt from the 
white fantastic mountains cast up by the 
waters and left dry through the intense 
evaporation continually going on. The 
shepherds of Bethlehem did not need to go 


BETHLEHEM BOYS. 


47 


down to the salt hills, for near the mouth 
of the Kedron, in many of the rock-holes 
upon the sloping coast or along the coast 
toward the mouth of the Jordan they could 
find enough salt washed up against the rocks 
to fill their sacks, which they then carried 
on their shoulders up the ravines and over 
the clifis to the place where they had left 
the asses ; and when these were fully laden, 
the homeward journey was begun. 

‘‘It was on such expeditions that David 
entered into a new phase of life. It was 
the life of a hunter, of a rock-climber, of 
one who seeks danger in order to show his 
skill in overcoming difficulties. On these 
occasions the strong men did the most of 
the work, while the lads searched for the 
purest salt-deposits, and were then given 
plenty of time for seeking the nests of the 
wild birds on the cliffs or for hunting out 
the hiding-places of foxes and rabbits. 

“ The way to the lake once known, there 
was a charm in afterward driving the sheep 
as near this mysterious region as the pasture 
extended — a region in which the active 
boyish spirit could find full opportunity 


48 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


for testing all its powers of endurance in 
climbing cliffs or in hunting the honey of 
the wild bees hidden in the narrow clefts of 
the rocks. 

‘^Not alone would the boys go, but in 
companies, for among the rocks lurked 
many dangers. Bears came down from 
the Syrian mountains, lions came up from 
the deserts bordering Egypt, serpents lay 
coiled inside of rocky apertures, and huge 
rocks, loosened by continued disintegration, 
fell unexpectedly from great heights into 
the valleys. The heart of the boldest boy 
would quail at the prospect of meeting these 
dangers alone. But David needed not to go 
alone, for in his own town of Bethlehem 
were many brave boys with courage like 
his own. 

“ Jesse was an old man. His youth had 
been spent when Samson and Samuel were 
young ; his spirit partook of the days when 
the most disastrous defeats came near crush- 
ing the children of Israel — days however in 
which marvelous feats of herois-m gave evi- 
dence of the spirit that would conquer in the 
end. Jesse’s eldest sons were now in King 


BETHLEHEM BOYS. 


49 


Saul’s bodyguard ; they were noble-looking 
men, and the brave, warlike spirit stirred 
them to deeds of valor. But David was not 
esteemed a soldier. He seemed to delight 
in the company of the tender-hearted 
maidens ; he was silent with unutterable 
thoughts, and too often did he withdraw 
from the warlike men to sing sweet songs 
of his own composing or to play on the 
musical instruments which his own hands 
had furnished. But he was not always 
thus. Around Jesse’s table were other lads 
of about the same age as David, and these 
were his companions in many a ramble over 
cliffs and in the wilderness, and in danger- 
ous adventures of which the household in 
Bethlehem never learned. These lads were 
David’s nephews, the sons of his brother 
Shammah and of his sisters Zeruiah and 
Abigail. What a bold group they formed ! 
how in after-years they brought to the 
entire nation of Israel the glory of brave 
deeds and skillful actions! Abishai, Joab, 
Asahel, Amasa, Jonathan, Jonadab and 
Joel, — how they could defy their foes and 
conquer in battle! This wilderness was 

4 


50 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


their training-ground, and in their wars 
when men they gave evidence of the value 
of this training. Joab could never have 
scaled the walls of the Jebusite castle if he 
had not spent his boyhood in scaling lofty 
cliffs in this rocky wilderness, and Asahel, 
who was noted for his fleetness — for who 
could run equal to him ? — was as one of the 
wild goats upon their native rocks. David 
was not inferior to any of these, but as a 
warrior bold became their leader when 
courage and skill were demanded. And 
yet he was greatly their superior, because 
his soul was stretching upward to greater 
things, and he felt within him the stirrings 
of the Spirit of the Lord. 

‘‘ The hills of Moab were of great interest 
to David, for in the country back of them 
his ancestress, the sweet-spirited Ruth, had 
been reared, and had left them to come and 
worship the Lord of Israel and in beauti- 
ful Bethlehem to spend the remaining years 
of her happy life. David looked toward 
the valley of the Jordan also with keen in- 
terest, for in the ancient city of Jericho his 
ancestress Rahab had saved the lives of the 


BETHLEHEM BOYS. 


51 


Israelite spies, and in the general destruc- 
tion of the city had been saved with her 
household by hanging the scarlet thread out 
of her window. The hills toward the north 
were also of interest. Upon one of them 
was located Nob — the city in which dwelt 
the high priest who sent to Jesse to supply 
the priestly household with the products of 
his loom- — and but a short distance beyond 
Nob was Gibeah, the royal residence of 
King Saul, while near that, upon its lofty 
mountain, were Kamah, the home of Sam- 
uel the prophet, and Naioth, the school of 
the prophets, in which music and prophecy 
were taught to those who were inspired by 
the Lord. David’s heart was stirred within 
him by all these scenes, and his youth was 
full of dreams of conquest and of greatness. 

‘‘David’s highest ambition was very dif- 
ferent from that of Joab or of the other 
young men. Saul was not his ideal of true 
excellence — rather Samuel, who united the 
warrior and the poet, the judge and the 
prophet — who at the same time ably de- 
fended Israel from the enemy and was the 
righteous arbitrator in peace. Such David de- 


52 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


sired to be as the thoughts of peace the more 
frequently coursed through his mind. But 
woe to the enemy who dared attack his flock ! 
or woe to the foe who was attacked by the son 
and the grandsons of the aged Jesse ! Then 
the harp and the flute were laid aside, and 
the sling or the club was pressed into ser- 
vice; then the dreaming eyes flashed fire 
and the fingers that had drawn sweet music 
out of the strings hurled huge stones which 
crashed upon the foe ; then men looked as- 
tonished and said, ‘The son of Jesse is a 
man of war,’ and to save their lives they 
would hasten to flee from before him. But 
all this valor was despised by his haughty 
brothers : their idea of valor found display 
only in the midst of the camp or on the bat- 
tlefield. When they heard of the deeds of 
their boy-brother, they thought it presump- 
tion on his part to think of himself as a sol- 
dier, and accused him of being haughty, 
proud of his achievements and conceited, 
thinking himself a man when he was only a 
boy. So they went to the wars, but David 
remained at home to tend the few sheep 
which Jesse daily sent forth to the pastures.” 


CHAPTER V. 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 

“AS the pasturing near Bethlehem became 
^ scanty the flocks were led into the 
plains farther away from the town ; and 
when that was consumed, the shepherds led 
their flocks into the ravines and upon the 
steep mountain-sides wherever verdure could 
be found. Early in the morning after the 
Sabbath rest they hunted out the choicest 
green spots, and there remained until the 
herbage was exhausted, provision being sent 
to them from the town. At night they 
sought the shelter of caves if such were 
near, or watched the long night through in the 
place where the sheep were feeding. As the 
verdure became more scanty the shepherds 
were compelled to separate, and each flock 
grazed by itself in the small pasture its shep- 
herd could find. 

“Various dangers threatened the shep- 

53 


54 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


herd at such times. There were many 
enemies to Judah, and in bands they might 
rush upon the flock and destroy the helpless 
sheep. On the west were the Philistines, on 
the south the Amalekites, on the east the 
Moabites, and throughout the land were 
Canaanites, who, living in fear of the Israel- 
ites, were comparatively tranquil, yet were not 
in harmony with the conquerors of their land 
and did not respect their possessions any more 
than force compelled them. But there were 
other enemies. The great Syrian bear came 
down from the mountains of the north to sat- 
isfy his hunger with the kids of the flocks, 
and the lion from the Egyptian morasses 
lurked in the caves and feared neither shep- 
herd nor dog. There were also jackals and 
wild dogs, which in the night roamed about 
crying and howling and barking as in packs 
they rushed along, driven by the pangs of 
hunger to defy the shepherds in protecting 
their sheep. The shepherds who pastured 
their flocks in places subject to such enemies 
must be brave, fearless men who in dark- 
ness and solitude would not desert their 
flocks nor yield to the foe. When a shep- 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 55 

herd was missing, he would be searched for, 
and often would be found stiff in death, 
mangled and torn, having given his life for 
his sheep. 

‘‘There was a fondness felt by the true 
shepherd for his sheep, cultivated by days 
and weeks of association, which led him to 
delight in the trusting innocence of the sheep 
and to defend them at every cost. Such a 
shepherd was David — faithful in little things, 
capable of great things — and as a good shep- 
herd he loved his sheep. 

“David had led his flock into the wild 
ravines of the mountains beyond the pas- 
turing-places occupied by his companions. 
On every side there was the appearance of 
danger. Huge crags bordered the steep path- 
way, dense thickets concealed the mouths 
of caverns, yawning abysses stretched in 
places up to the path along which he was 
leading his flock. Occasionally the path was 
narrow, and a false step would have hurled 
him over the precipice. Slowly he went for- 
ward, tenderly he called to his sheep ; he 
sung to them, he called them pet-names, he 
exhorted them as he would his fellows to be 


56 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


watchful and not to fall into the pit of de- 
struction. His dogs followed ; they saw 
that none of the flock went astray. They 
too knew the shepherd’s anxiety to keep 
the lives of all. 

‘‘At length the pasture-grounds in a des- 
olate and lonely region were reached. All 
about it were stupendous rocks, yawning ra- 
vines and tangled thickets, but the grass was 
plentiful and a spring of fresh water sent a 
little stream trickling along the foot of a 
crag. Then, for food, were plenty of berries 
and grapes that had not been plucked in the 
vintage ; and, having his wallet well stocked 
with barley-cakes, David was prepared to 
remain with his sheep until the return of 
the Sabbath would call him home. From 
the rock above the spring he could survey 
the whole pasture and look over the hills be- 
yond. Afar off he could discern the ap- 
proach of a foe, and his faithful dogs would 
warn him if any ferocious animal sought to 
leap upon them from the thicket. When 
the shades of the night drew down, he stood 
on the rock, and as the moon sent its clear 
rays over the land he watched his flock as 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 57 

the sheep lay down to rest, trusting their 
shepherd. Around the flock, nearer the 
bordering thickets, the dogs were watching, 
silent as the night. 

“Motionless stood the shepherd on the 
rock, leaning upon his staff, when suddenly 
out of the thicket on the right was heard 
the thundering roar of a hungry lion which 
from his lair had scented the flock. In- 
stantly the whole scene changed. The 
sheep sprang up and crowded together, 
looking toward their shepherd ; the dogs 
leaped from their resting posture and with 
savage growls and bristling backs showed 
their anger at the disturber of their rest. 
The shepherd, noticing the quarter from 
which the sound came, quickly descended 
from his rocky watch-tower, and, with a low 
w^histle summoning his dogs, passed over to 
that side and waited for another sign of the 
foe. Again the roaring of the lion indicated 
his approach, and the roar was the more 
savage as the huge beast scented the flock 
near at hand. 

“ This was a trying time to the shepherd. 
It was easy for him to flee and save his own 


58 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


life, but by his doing so his flock would be 
left at the mercy of the lion. Could he 
thus see his trusting charge torn and 
mangled? Could he return to Bethlehem 
and have it said in the gate that he was a 
coward ? Should Eliab despise his weak- 
ness and the maidens turn from him with 
contempt? No! He could not cherish 
such a thought. He would himself die 
before one of his flock should be lost. 

Again the roar of the lion close at hand 
broke the stillness, and the next moment 
there was a crashing in the bushes, followed 
by the appearance of the huge beast as he 
leaped into the pasture and glared about 
him, looking for his prey. But there in 
his way stood the shepherd, with his staff* 
raised above his head and his dogs crouch- 
ing at his feet. The lion, with head erect, 
lashing his sides with his tail, filled with 
anger at the boldness of the shepherd and the 
dogs, growled and shook his heavy mane. 
Quivering in every limb, he crouched and 
sprang toward the dauntless foe. With one 
stroke of his paw he crushed the skull of 
the nearest dog; with one awful movement 


SLA YING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 69 


of his jaws he grasped another dog, and as 
he growled crunched its bones in ferocious 
wrath. But in that moment the shepherd 
was upon him. With one blow of his iron- 
headed staff he broke the nose of the 
mighty beast ; with another he disabled the 
paw that was stretched out to seize him ; 
with another he sought to break the back 
of the lion. And now appeared the vigor, 
the skill, the bravery, of the shepherd. 
The lion roared in anger and pain. He 
sought to put forth his strength, to clasp his 
foe, to seize him in his still mighty grasp, 
but, though he wounded the brave shepherd 
when his claws touched him, he could do no 
more. At last a terrible blow on the side 
of the head laid him low, and before he 
could recover the knee of the shepherd was 
on his head. David’s keen-edged knife was 
plunged into the lion’s heart, and the great 
beast was dead. 

The loud roar of the lion, breaking the 
stillness of the night, had been heard by the 
watchmen in a neighboring valley, and the 
nearest villagers had been aroused to go in 
pursuit ; they heard the beast’s roaring as it 


60 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


sought its prey, and were thus able to direct 
their steps. As they drew nearer with dogs 
and with torches they heard the growl of 
the lion and the terrible cry of agony of 
the dog in its grasp, and then the shout 
of the shepherd as he dealt the beast the 
death-blow. 

‘‘As David arose with the knife in his 
hand dripping with the life-blood of the 
lion, the villagers entered the pasture and 
in words of admiration and kindness saluted 
the brave boy who had risked his life for his 
flock. They bound up his wounds, they 
shouted his praises, and when the morning 
light appeared the women came out of the 
village with songs and rejoicings, praising 
him for his noble deed. When David led 
his flock homeward, the men of the moun- 
tain-village preceded him, bearing the skin 
and the head of the lion; and when they 
came to Bethlehem, the elders who sat in 
the gate pronounced his father happy in the 
possession of such a son, and the maidens, 
decked in all their ornaments, surrounded 
him and with songs and dances praised him 
above all other youths in the land. 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 61 


In his victory over the lion David had 
seen revealed the arm of the Lord, and he 
composed praises unto the Lord because of 
the protection vouchsafed him. His daunt- 
less spirit was made nobler by the self-respect 
which the praises of the maidens aroused, and, 
filled with happiest thoughts, he again led 
his flock among the cliffs and ravines of the 
mountainous border of the habitable land. 

‘‘ As the appearance of the sheep was evi- 
dence of the care and the energy of their 
keeper, there naturally would be consider- 
able rivalry among the shepherds to present 
the best-conditioned sheep and the fairest- 
looking flocks ; therefore each of them 
sought to find the best bits of pasture to 
feed the animals, the safest caves to shelter 
them and the sweetest springs to water them. 
The constant need of watch-care and the 
danger of enemies assailing them led the 
shepherds so to develop their physical prow- 
ess as to be able to guard what was committed 
to their trust. Scaling rocks, gathering the 
honeycomb from the clefts in the lofty crags, 
climbing tangled vines to reach the outer- 
most clusters of well-ripened grapes and 


62 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


slinging stones across the deep valleys were 
some of the ways by which their muscles 
were developed. 

“ The shepherd always carried his sling, 
smooth pebbles were plentiful, there were 
thousands of spots to serve as targets, and 
during the long hours of the day, with noth- 
ing to do but to see that the sheep did not 
stray, there was ample time to devote to this 
muscular development and to the cultivation 
of skill of eye and hand. Time was not 
consumed by these men in the studying of 
books, in the arrangement of toilet or in 
the elaborate decoration of their homes ; no 
works of art, no cumbrous furniture, no stud- 
ies of science, no luxurious styles of dress, 
engaged their attention ; their garments, food, 
wants and habits were of the simplest kind. 
They possessed keenness of vision and of 
hearing, minds quick to receive what was 
before them, muscles adapted to severe toil 
and protracted exposure. They were in all 
things quite different from the generation 
that followed, for with their sons luxury and 
weakness came into the land. The soldier 
and the shepherd composed the two leading 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR. 63 


classes, and in the harvest-season all met to- 
gether as equals in the field. 

“ David was a rugged youth ; he was a 
child of nature and in harmony with the 
land in its ruggedness ; it was home to him, 
and neither the crags nor the darkness held 
any terrors for him. 

“ The cold storms in the north had driv- 
en the wild bears of the Syrian mountains 
into the jungles of the Jordan; gradually 
they had come farther to the south, until 
they threatened the security of the flocks on 
the mountains. The going forth of the 
shepherd was therefore in the face of new 
dangers, and at home there were anxious 
hearts awaiting his return. With David the 
issue of meeting with one of these formi- 
dable marauders was the death of either the 
bear or the shepherd, for he would not flee 
from the face of a foe. In the strength 
of his youth he exulted in his victories. 

Again the night finds him on the mountains 
with his flock with no sheltering cave near 
enough for him safely to lead them into fold. 
As before, he takes his station with his flock 
before him, carefully scanning the rocks 


64 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and the bushes in every direction to be sure 
that no foe is near. The moon courses its 
way along the heaven, here and there hid- 
ing behind the swiftly-passing fleecy clouds. 
David glances toward , the great Philistian 
plain, and sees the veil of mist that has 
arisen and hangs suspended motionless over 
it. 

A solemn stillness prevails, unbroken 
save by the sounds here and there made by 
the sleeping sheep. The shepherd’s quick 
ear, however, detects the movement of some 
animal in the neighboring thicket. At the 
same moment his dog comes to him and 
with a growl of anger and a whine express- 
ing fear puts his paws upon his master’s 
breast, looks into his face, and then bounds 
toward the thicket. The next moment a 
huge, bulky black animal trots into the 
pasture, and with silent tread, unheeding 
the shout of the shepherd or the savage 
bark of the dog, gains the flock — which is 
now aroused by the shepherd’s cry — seizes a 
kid and turns to escape to its haunt. But 
the noble dog leaps before the marauder 
and disputes its retreat; it growls at the 


SLAYING THE LION AND THE BEAR, 65 


dog, but cannot strike without letting go the 
kid. It stops in its course to press the kid 
with one paw to its breast, while with the 
other it attacks the dog, which has already- 
bitten its flank. 

“ As thus the robber stops to do battle 
David leaps to its side. With his left hand 
he grasps the thick fur on the neck of the 
savage beast, while with his stalff he deals it 
such a blow on its paw as to crush it, com- 
pelling it to drop the kid. With its other 
paw it tries to grasp its assailant, but he 
holds it by the throat with his left hand, 
and with his staff in his muscular right 
hand beats it upon the head and the paws 
until it gasps for breath and struggles to 
free itself. With the energy of desperation 
he clutches it the tighter and beats it the 
harder, until its limbs relax and it falls dead 
at his feet. The strength of the shepherd 
is also wellnigh gone. With one more 
effort he plunges his knife into the beast’s 
neck and severs its jugular vein, and as it 
bleeds he sinks panting upon its thick fur 
until the stupor of exhaustion wears away 
and he recovers strength. 

6 


66 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


When David returned with his flock to 
Bethlehem, there was no one to herald his 
approach; for the battle had been fought 
in the solitude of a far-off ravine. He was 
alone in his danger and alone in his victory. 
As he approached the group standing around 
the cistern at the gate they all stared upon 
him in amazement, for in a bundle upon his 
shoulder, over his torn and blood-stained 
tunic, he carried the skin of a huge Syrian 
bear, and around his neck was a necklace 
made of the teeth and claws of the savage 
beast. When his tunic had been removed, 
the marks on his breast and his shoulders 
told the story of the terrible conflict and of 
how near he was to death. As he silently 
passed through the gate toward his father’s 
house a murmur of applause went forth 
from the elders and the people sitting with 
them in the gate at this second evidence of 
the uncommon strength, bravery and mod- 
esty of the valiant son of Jesse.” 


CHAPTER yi. 


THE ANOINTING OF DA VID. 

‘‘ OIXTEEN years the prophet Samuel 
^ mourned because God had rejected 
Saul. During these years, urged on by his 
hopeless frenzy, the king waged a desultory 
war against the Philistines. From his lofty 
watch-tower in Hamah, from which he could 
see over the central part of the land, ‘the 
prophet — now about fourscore years of age 
— watched over the religious interests of the 
people. He no longer came in contact with 
the king, although, as a judge or arbitrator, 
he held his customary court at Bethel, Gil- 
gal and Mizpah, and with the authority 
sustained by his reputation as the man to 
whom God spake held sacrifices as occasion 
offered in the various towns within the 
realm of his influence. Saul dwelt in 
Gibeah ; there he had established his royal 
state, and there his select bodyguard was 

67 


68 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


encamped around the town on the sides of 
the hill Gibeon, which rose like a cone in 
the valley below the mountain on which 
dwelt Samuel. 

‘‘As from his dwelling the prophet could 
look down upon the home and the host of 
the king, and thus held continually in his 
presence the subject of his grief, he continued 
his mourning as though his affection for the 
wayward Saul could never cease. But now 
the voice of the Lord speaks to him, com- 
manding him to cease his mourning and to 
go forth and anoint the one whom the Lord 
had chosen to become the king of Israel 
instead of the disobedient Saul. Well did 
the prophet know that the king kept a close 
watch on all his doings, and that if a sign 
should be given of such a mission his life 
would be the forfeit. Out of his flock, 
which fed on the plain below his residence, 
he selected a young heifer to take for a 
sacrifice, and with oil from the tabernacle he 
proceeded to Bethlehem, there to anoint that 
one of the sons of Jesse whom the Lord 
should indicate. 

“How much was this like the anointing 


TBE ANOINTING OF DAVID. 69 

of Saul, some thirty years before ! Then 
Samuel was at a feast in which he blessed the 
sacrifice, and Saul appeared, ‘and Samuel 
took Saul and his servant and brought them 
into the parlor and made them sit in the 
chiefest place among them that were bidden, 
which were about thirty persons. And Sam- 
uel said unto the cook. Bring the portion 
which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee. 
Set it by thee ; and the cook took up the 
shoulder and that which was upon it and set 
it before Saul. Then Samuel took a vial of 
oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed 
him, and said. Is it not because the Lord 
hath anointed thee to be captain over his 
inheritance T 

“Early in the morning Samuel started 
from his home to fulfill his divine commis- 
sion of anointing SauFs successor. From his 
dwelling in Hamah he could see as far as the 
castle of the Jebusites, beyond the tabernacle 
at Nob, which was half the distance of the 
journey. By slow steps and leading his 
heifer he went forward, and in the course of 
two or three hours came to the tabernacle. 
Here he had his horn filled with consecrated 


70 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


oil by Aliimelech, the high priest, and here, 
too, he rested and received the salutations of 
peace and prosperity from the family and 
dependants of the high priest. From this 
place he passed by the castle of the Jebu- 
sites, and pursued his way over hill and dale 
toward Bethlehem. As he passed the little 
cottages by the wayside the people humbly 
asked his blessing upon them, and rewarded 
him with their utterances of heartfelt thanks 
and prayers that long life might be granted 
him. At length he climbed the steep ascent 
before the town, and, gaining the summit of 
the narrow spur that projects eastward from 
the central ridge, stood before the gate at the 
end of the long narrow street, and saluted 
the elders, who in fear and surprise were 
awaiting his salutation to know if it meant 
judgment or peace. When they addressed 
him, it was with the words, ‘ Comest thou 
peaceably V to which he answered, ‘ Peace- 
ably. I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord : 
sanctify yourselves and come with me to the 
sacrifice.^ Then, addressing Jesse, he bade 
him command his sons to sanctify themselves 
and come also to the sacrificial feast. 


THE ANOINTING OF DAVID. 


71 


When the preparations were all com- 
pleted and the guests were in their places, the 
prophet arose to perform his mission before 
partaking of the feast. It was a thrilling 
spectacle — one full of mystery to the elders 
of Bethlehem. The aged prophet’s hair, 
whitened by his many years, and uncut, as 
was the habit of the Nazarites, was now 
loosely flowing over his broad and slightly- 
bent shoulders ; his eyes sparkled with that 
deep color which age gave, mellowed with 
that tenderness obtained from a lifetime of 
service in devotion ; his heavy white beard 
extended to his waist ; his countenance was 
beaming with benevolence as he gazed upon 
the friends about him. He wore the usual 
blue tunic, which reached to his sandaled feet, 
and over his shoulders was spread the man- 
tle, the symbol of his prophetic office. He 
stood before them the embodiment of maj- 
esty, grace and power. 

Jesse, a man as old as the prophet, with a 
face beaming with benevolence, now touched 
with reverence toward the venerable visitor, 
stood by his side eagerly listening to the 
words of his friend. How thoroughly he 


72 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


honored him! For more than half a cen- 
tury he had been accustomed to obey his 
judgment and follow his commands. Be- 
fore Saul was born, and while Samson was 
causing wailings to go forth from the be- 
reaved women of Philistia, Jesse had lis- 
tened to the words of Samuel and had given 
his trust to Samuel’s Lord, and now it was 
the greatest of all honors to welcome his 
friend and his judge in his own town and 
with his children ' about him listen to the 
words the prophet uttered. 

‘‘ Back of the old men — the elders of the 
town — stood the strong, noble-looking sons 
of Jesse. They had come home from the 
service of the king, and with all that manly 
bearing which their military experience nat- 
urally gave them, and with respect for the 
venerable judge of Israel, they awaited the 
words he would speak. Probably with them 
curiosity was stronger than reverence. 
They were better acquainted with King Saul 
and with the life of their day. They had 
been in battle with the king, and had been 
awed by the power with which he command- 
ed his soldiers, while Samuel, who repre- 


THE ANOINTING OF DA VID. 


73 


sented an age that was now past, was known 
more by report ; yet about him there was a 
mysterious charm which compelled their at- 
tention and respect, and now particularly as 
in the most searching scrutiny he gazed 
upon each one of them. 

At the prophet’s command the sons of 
Jesse, one after another, beginning with the 
eldest, stood before him until he gave them 
the sign to retire. This was all a mystery 
to them, for Samuel had not indicated his 
purpose in thus examining them. When 
Eliab stood before him, the prophet gazed 
upon him with a sense of satisfaction and 
yearned to anoint him. He was in person 
the very counterpart of Saul — noble in bear- 
ing, strong in body, brave in spirit, perfect 
in development, seeming to possess all the 
graces needed by a king. But the Lord 
rebuked the ardor of the prophet. No, 
Samuel; not in the figure of the outward 
man, but in the state of the inward man, 
are to be found the qualifications for true 
kingship. ‘Man looketh on the outward 
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the 
heart and by the heart shall the successor 


74 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE, 


of Saul be chosen. For this reason Eliab 
was rejected, as likewise were all of the sons 
of Jesse present before the prophet. 

But what did this mean ? Had the 
Lord misled Samuel? For after the breth- 
ren had all passed, Samuel turns to Jesse 
and in a trembling, sorrowful tone of voice 
says, ‘ The Lord hath not chosen these.’ 
Silence falls on the assembly. The prophet 
stands in solemn thought for a moment, 
then, looking up, eagerly asks Jesse, ‘Are 
here all thy children? Jesse replies, ‘ There 
remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, 
he keepeth the sheep.’ David was only 
the boy, whose place it was to keep in the 
background, while his older brothers re- 
ceived honors at the feasts. He was given 
the work of maidens or of servants, and 
even now was in the plain below the town 
with the sheep. How startling must the 
command of the prophet have sounded as in 
emphatic tones he says, ‘ Send and fetch him, 
for we will not sit down till he come hither ’ ! 

“ David was immediately sent for and 
brought in, but what a contrast between him 
and his brothers ! He was only a lad, small 


THE ANOINTING OF DAVID. 


75 


in stature compared with them, with a 
smooth, girlish countenance, more noticeable 
for his fair features than for his manly 
bearing, and yet he had proved himself to 
be the bravest of the brave and as muscular 
as the most stalwart in the town. Fair 
though he was, he had never fled from foe, 
but had won the honor of being a mighty, 
valiant man, a man of war, and prudent 
withal, and, more than this, of a devout 
spirit specially favored of the Lord. He 
was a genius in the estimation of the peo- 
2)le — a strange combination of strength 
and tenderness, of activity and meditation. 
Disdained by his brethren, who had no 
eyes to see his excellent qualities, and who, 
wrapped in the pride of their own loftiness, 
were unacquainted with his noble spirit, he 
grew up unappreciated by those who should 
have honored him the most. 

‘‘At this feast the entire company had 
sanctifled themselves — that is, had washed 
themselves and put on clean garments — but 
David is brought in from the sheepfold with 
the smell of the flock on his garment — his 
soiled, common blue tunic — without the least 


76 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


intimation as to the cause of his being called 
in or of the high destiny before him. As 
he enters the room Samuel beholds him, 
and at once there flashes through his mind 
the token of selection, and with gladness he 
receives the divine message, ‘Arise, anoint 
him : for this is he.’ In quick obedience 
Samuel arose, and, taking the horn of con- 
secrated oil, as he stood in the presence of 
his brethren, who knew not the meaning of 
his act, he anointed the beautiful lad. Thus 
having accomplished his mission, and know- 
ing that in his own time the Lord would 
make it all plain to them, with peaceful 
benediction the prophet rose up and re- 
turned to his home in Hamah. 

“ The immediate consequence of this obe- 
dience to the Lord’s command was realized 
in the lives of the three most prominent 
characters. Samuel ceased to mourn for 
Saul : his aflection and watch-care were now 
centred upon David, the chosen of the Lord, 
who was a man after the Lord’s own heart ; 
Saul experienced a change, for the Spirit of 
the Lord departed from him and an evil 
spirit began to possess him and terrify him ; 


THE ANOINTING OF DA VID. 


77 


while the Spirit of the Lord came upon 
David from that day forward in a manner 
hitherto entirely uu known. 

David went back to tend the sheep : the 
command to go forward had not yet been 
given — in his lowly office he was to wait 
until called to more honor — and his martial 
brothers returned to the army of the king to 
go forward in the war with the boasting 
Philistines, who were defying the hosts of 
Israel. The shadow of a mystery rested 
over them all, for no word of revelation had 
been given. They may have supposed that 
Samuel had heard of the devout spirit of 
David and his wonderful skill, and had thus 
chosen him to enter the school of the 
prophets. Sure it was that none of tlie 
family suspected that it pertained to the 
office of king over the hosts of Israel. 

“ In the quiet return of the prophet to 
Ramah no offence was given, and the only 
thought the people could have of it was as 
an act of kindness on the part of the proph- 
et in attending the feast in Bethlehem with 
his own part of the sacrifice and choosing 
Jesse’s son to an honorable position in Israel. 


78 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


“But let US arise and seek the repose 
which the approaching darkness promises 
us, and on the morrow we will continue the 
story of our noble hero.’’ 

Thus Barachel dismissed the young men, 
but they could hardly control their spirits, 
being impatient for the hour to come when 
they might hear more about the valiant 
David. 


CHAPTEE YII. 


THE KINOES FRENZY CONTROLLED. 

I T was somewhat later in the following 
day when Barachel, accompanied by the 
young men, sought an appropriate place in 
which to rest while continuing his narrative. 
The crowds in the city were increasing, and 
the enthusiasm of the people was being the 
more plainly manifested as each day brought 
new troops of visitors from distant kingdoms. 
The tribes inhabiting the deserts were arriv- 
ing, and were being assigned places where 
to pitch their tents. The hillside upon 
which Barachel had reclined while relat- 
ing his story the day before was now occu- 
pied by a company of Ishmaelites from the 
desert east of the Jordan. Their tents were 
already pitched, and their camels were at 
ease beneath the trees that had sheltered the 
young men from the heat of the sun. To- 


80 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


ward the north was a spot upon which no 
one had yet encamped, and to which the 
party directed their footsteps. It was an 
appropriate spot for the continuation of the 
narrative, as from it they could see Gibeah, 
Ramah, Nob and beyond the hills surround- 
ing Jerusalem. 

After resting a while and partaking of 
some choice figs and dates, Barachel, looking 
toward Gibeah, continued : 

‘‘ The life of King Saul is one of the sad- 
dest in history. Until he had attained nearly 
middle age he was under the control of his 
father and occupied the ordinary station of 
a successful son of Benjamin. His home was 
in one of the fairest parts of the land, just 
below the abiding-place of the prophet of 
the Lord and only a short distance from 
Mizpah, the gathering-place of the nation. 

‘‘ Saul was a lad probably ten years of age 
when Samson, the warrior-judge, died, and 
the conversation of his elders most firmly 
impressed upon his mind was the recital, 
with all the glow of Oriental extravagance, 
of the wonderful deeds of that great judge. 
It was about that same time that the Philistines 


THE KING’S FRENZY CONTROLLED, 81 


defeated Israel in battle ; the ark was taken 
and carried in triumph to their temples, and 
the venerable Eli, in sorrow and despair at 
the catastrophe, fell from his seat and, break- 
ing his neck, died. Then the Philistines 
seemed to have full sway. The high priest 
dead, the judge dead, the ark of God taken, 
the people, lacking unity and disobedient to 
God, were utterly unable to combine in order 
to free themselves from their foes. The sons 
of Eli had corrupted the nation by their 
licentiousness, the laws of God were un- 
heeded by the teachers and the inhabitants 
were encouraged in lewd practices. When 
Israel’s great leaders were gone, the Philis- 
tines brought the people under such abject 
bondage that not a smith was allowed in the 
land to sharpen the most ordinary iron tools ; 
they were compelled to resort to the Philis- 
tines on the plains. Weapons were not per- 
mitted them, but secretly they made bows 
and slings, with which they became won- 
derfully expert. 

‘‘ With such a state of affairs prevailing in 
Israel, Saul passed the days of his boyhood. 
When he was about fourteen years of age, 
6 


82 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Samuel became judge, and, calling the peo- 
ple together, told them the Lord had not 
deserted them, but was punishing them for 
their sins. This gathering was on the lofty 
mountain just above Saul’s home — so near 
that the shouts of the host could be heard 
over his father’s fields. How the martial 
spirit of the boy must have been fired by 
the gathering of the tribes ! and when they 
went forth to battle and returned victorious, 
what joy and what hope it awakened in every 
heart! Once more they were conquerors, 
and the Philistines were driven out of the 
hills down to their cities on the coast of the 
great sea. 

‘‘ Then came prosperity. The vineyards 
and the wheatfields were cultivated ; the 
schools of the prophets in Naioth were estab- 
lished ; the courts of justice were set up at 
Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, and the forges 
of the smiths were again built, so that the 
people might be provided with both tools 
and weapons. With success came the power 
of preserving success, and Samuel, who had 
so valiantly led their warriors in battle, laid 
aside his armor and as the prophet of the 


THE KINO’S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 83 


Lord and the righteous judge taught the 
people the ways and the laws of the Lord. 

“Then eighteen years passed by, and in 
all this time the nation peacefully prospered. 
Saul grew to maturity and was the goodliest- 
appearing of all the youth in the land ; he 
had a body almost like that of a giant in 
size and in strength. As a Benjamite he 
possessed a spirit fierce in love and in hate. 
The story of the heroes of his country no 
doubt largely shaped his thoughts, until he 
was a patriot filled with immense possibili- 
ties ; yet, with all his powers, he was untried 
and was but a boy before his father’s guiding 
hand. In their prosperity, however, the 
people seemed to forget the wonderful way 
in which God had led them, and they be- 
came dissatisfied with the mild and unas- 
suming control of their judge. They clam- 
ored for such a king as the nations around 
them possessed, and it was in answer to this 
clamor that Samuel, in obedience to the 
command of the Lord, anointed Saul and 
gave him to them for their king. When 
the people saw his noble stature, his brave 
countenance and his modest demeanor, they 


84 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


were filled with delight, and with shouts at 
once accepted him. But there was one 
weak spot in the heart of the king : he lacked 
consecration to the Lord. He was rash, im- 
petuous, fierce, despotic, fond of display and 
more inclined to war than to peace ; so that 
almost from the first he failed in obedience, 
and continued his transgressions until the 
prophet completely severed all relations with 
him and by the direction of the I./ord sought 
out and anointed the brave and true-hearted 
David. 

“The difficulties besetting Saul were of 
the most stupendous character. He had 
preceding him no king whom he might imi- 
tate. The people wanted a king like the 
rulers of nations round about them, and thus 
to a certain degree compelled Saul to accept 
such kings as his guide in statecraft and in 
form of royal establishment. Thus, too, he 
was led away from the thought that Jehovah 
was the King of Israel, and the opposition 
the prophet so sternly manifested to his 
view made him desperate in the use of the 
authority which the people had given him. 
He was becoming an old man ; he had lived 


THE KING’S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 85 


more than threescore years, but was as brave 
in spirit and as powerful in arm as in youth 
until the dreadful scourge of his life — which 
the people called an evil spirit from the 
Lord — began to fasten upon him. It was 
terrible in its effects, arousing in him the 
fiercest anger and casting him into the deep- 
est melancholy. When under its influence, 
his dearest friends were in the greatest dan- 
ger, as it came on him suddenly and lasted 
for a considerable time, darkening his mind 
and threatening to destroy his power over 
the people, even as it destroyed his power 
over his own will. The earnest desire of his 
followers was to find some means of exor- 
cising this spirit. For their own security 
his courtiers were as anxious to find a reme- 
dy as was the king, and they suggested that 
some one skilled in music be found ; for in 
the East it has always been believed that 
music possesses a magical power over wild 
beasts, venomous serpents and savage men. 
They may even have seen the charm as by 
his varied notes the musician compelled the 
poisonous serpent to become harmless and to 
do his bidding, and no doubt Saul himself 


86 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


had shown a fondness for melody and it had 
restored peace to his troubled soul. One of 
his guards remembered how his own heart 
was stirred by the music of the brave shep- 
herd-boy of Bethlehem, and now it was his 
opportunity to befriend that boy, who not 
only was skillful with music, but was a 
soldier in spirit, invincible in conflict and 
wise in judgment among the shepherds in 
their petty disputes. 

‘‘The king listened to the praises of 
David and commanded that messengers be 
sent to Jesse with instructions immediate- 
ly to send David from the sheepfolds to stand 
before him and play on his harp. Jesse 
would not refuse the command of his king, 
particularly as this conferred honor upon 
his youngest son ; but it was sad for the last 
one to be called from him, for his other sons 
were already in the army of the warlike 
king. With prompt obedience Jesse pre- 
pared his son for the journey. It was not 
a great distance to the royal court, but the true 
spirit of obedience to the king was to be as 
plainly manifested as though it were afar off. 
David could not go empty-handed; this 


THE KING’S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 87 

would be a lack of courtesy. Kather, his 
gifts must be of the most pleasing kind. 
Jesse took an ass and loaded her with 
bread : nowhere in all the land could finer 
wheat be raised or sifted fiour make finer 
bread than in Bethlehem. Even the name 
of the town was ‘ House of Bread bread 
would, therefore, be a worthy gift to the 
king. With this were a bottle of choicest 
wine from the vineyards in the valley below 
the town, and a kid, one of David’s own 
raising. These were the presents David was 
to take to his king. 

“ When Saul had received the presents 
and had looked upon David, with the quick 
impulse of his nature he at once began to 
love him. Such a blending of power and 
sweetness, such a lovely countenance, com- 
bined with such well-developed muscles, 
were rare to see, and the heart could not 
resist yielding to him. Thus in his very 
entry at court David met Saul when the 
king was in one of his best moods, and, 
winning his heart, he was prepared to do 
him good. Before the opportunity arrived 
to test his skill as a musician the king 


88 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


placed the youth among his armor-bearers, 
next in honor to his own son, and sent word 
to Jesse that he desh*ed David to stand 
before him and serve him, as he had found 
favor in his sight. 

What a bright, attractive, magnetic man 
was Saul in his good moods ! In spite of 
his faults, he held the affections of the 
nation. To David he was the Lord’s anoint- 
ed and worthy of deepest respect, and the 
imagination of the young man clothed the 
king with more than merely human honor 
and greatness. 

It was the introduction of David to the 
highest social life in Israel, and with one 
bound he passed from boyhood into man- 
hood. For the first time he came in contact 
with the men who held the honor of the 
state in their keeping, and he could see how 
in power and in skill they differed from 
himself. 

‘‘ Such an hour is the most important in 
the social life of a man. He comes face to 
face with his ideals, and if he be strong 
learns how weak they are. For a while he 
is in a mysterious realm ; for a day his high- 


T,HE KING’S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 89 


est ambition is gratified ; then, gathering 
new strength, it leaps forth again. 

David came from the sheepfolds ; he 
knew nothing of fighting save' in border 
battles with robbers. The name ‘ soldier ’ 
was great to him, but now, as an armor- 
bearer to the king, with the three thousand 
veterans about the court before him, he saw 
the small distance between the shepherd and 
the soldier, and he lost all of war’s alarums. 

How attractive was this court-life at 
Gibeah ! King Saul, head and shoulders 
taller than any man in his army, dwell- 
ing in his tent pitched outside the walls of 
Gibeon, attended at the table by all of his 
officers every new moon, surrounded by his 
bodyguard of three thousand men, distin- 
guished by a tall spear suited to his stature 
which was placed beside his chair when he 
rested and by his pillow when he slept — the 
spear which in battle wrought such terrible 
havoc among his enemies — on his brow 
wearing the royal diadem, on his arms arm- 
lets of gold, welcomed and honored by the 
shouts of the men and by the praise-songs 
of the women reciting the valiant deeds he 


90 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


had done, — such was the scene that stirred 
the heart of the minstrel shepherd-boy and 
aroused within him the deepest respect for 
the king, the divinely-chosen leader of 
Israel. 

‘‘ But news comes of the Philistines aris- 
ing for battle, and with it memory weaves 
again before the king the story of his rejec- 
tion. He bows his head, places his hands 
over his brow and for a long time is silent ; 
then, raising his head, he glares about him. 
His hands are quivering, his eyes are blood- 
shot, his movements are spasmodic, hoarse 
growls seem to force themselves out of his 
throat. The courtiers and the servants 
move with caution; they watch for their 
lives. One of them informs David that the 
hour has come for him to try his skill in 
charming the evil spirit from the enthralled 
king. The king glares more savagely about 
him ; he lays hold of a water-bowl near him 
and crushes it to pieces in his strong grasp. 
He reaches out for his spear, when sudden- 
ly his hand is arrested. His wild, glaring 
eye seems fixed ; he stands motionless for 
many minutes, then sinks back upon his 


THE KING’S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 91 

chair again, covers his face with his hands, 
and weeps. But what has moved him so 
strangely ? 

“ Back of the curtained apartment David 
has taken his station with his harp. Softly 
— softly as the inspiration of genius can 
make it — he touches the strings of his harp. 
In gentle wavelets the air bears the strains 
into the presence of the king, whose quick 
ear receives them as most precious oil on 
his bruised soul. Now a sweet little shep- 
herd’s melody creeps along the strings ; it 
becomes a picture as it touches the fancy of 
the king, lifting him out of the camp and 
placing him in the midst of pleasant pastures 
and fruitful vineyards. Around him he sees 
shepherd-maidens, hears their merry calls, 
listens to their songs, forgets his woe and 
his weariness, and, bosomed on their smiles, 
glides into the tranquillity of a peaceful rest. 
Louder swells the melody. Saul is a young 
man again, feeling all the vigor of youth 
without its care and its sorrow and exulting 
in his strength and hope. As the melody 
continues there is silence all about him. 
The courtiers have never before heard such 


92 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


music, and with gladness they mark the ef- 
fect upon the king. J onathan, the king’s son, 
stands near by weeping with tears of joy 
and longing to embrace the youth, but fear- 
ful of interrupting the strains. Again the 
music sinks lower as Michal, the daughter 
of the king, passes by. She dare not linger, 
for her tender heart is touched, and she feels 
the arrows of love pierce her soul as she 
catches but one glance of the shepherd’s 
eye. Saul is weeping; his huge shoulders 
shake with emotion, while the tears drop 
thick and fast from between his fingers. 
At length he takes down his hands, proudly 
lifts his head and with calmness looks about 
him. The courtiers and the servants see 
that the evil spirit has been driven away. 
David now touches the harp with the bold 
spirit of the soldier; it is an anthem of 
battle. As the ringing sound bursts forth 
Saul springs up from his seat, seizes his 
spear, rushes to the door of the tent and 
commands the royal trumpeter to send forth 
a peal long and loud. The army must be 
gathered, their peaceful camp broken up 
and the Philistines driven back. 


THE KTNG^S FRENZY CONTROLLED. 93 

In the hurry of preparation the minstrel 
is forgotten ; his work for this time has been 
done, and as the camp moves forward David 
in peace returns to his father, once more to 
tend the sheep ; for in the hour of battle 
the king desires only those who are trained 
in the use of the weapons of war, and the 
shepherd-minstrel again can wait upon him 
after the Philistines are driven out from the 
land/^ 


CHAPTER YIII. 

THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 

“TOURING the years that had passed since 
Samuel so successfully drove the Philis- 
tines out of the hills into their maritime 
plains the Philistines had been increasing in 
strength and preparing for a renewal of the 
conflict. The antagonism between the dwell- 
ers on the hills and those in the plains was 
handed down from generation to generation, 
and the change in seasons or in the fortunes 
of other nations of the world made no 
change in this sentiment. Now the war- 
trumpet is blown loud and long by both na- 
tions, and on the one side the cities are con- 
federate, while on the other the tribes are 
confederate, and all minor distinctions are 
lost in the formation of the two great ar- 
mies. They finally approach each other in the 
hill-country a few miles south of the region 

94 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


95 


in which Samson had performed many of 
his mighty deeds — in the ‘Vale of the 
Oaks/ where the broad plain lies between 
the sloping hills, and through the midst of 
which runs the small brook now called Wady 
Sunt. This valley commences in the moun- 
tains of Judah, near Hebron, and descends 
rapidly toward the north, dividing them 
from the hills of Philistia to the west. Af- 
ter running about ten miles it bends to the 
westward, and is here crossed by the main 
road leading from Gaza to Jerusalem — that 
road by which the Egyptians of ancient times 
gained the hill-country. Hitherto it has 
been a somewhat broad valley with parallel 
lines of hills on either side, but after passing 
Shocoh on the left it contracts considerably 
and winds in and out through a narrow 
gorge for some miles, until it enters the 
more open plain near Tell es Safy. It was 
in this valley that the fortunes of the com- 
batants were to be determined. The army 
of King Saul came down from the mountains 
and encamped on the hillside north-east of 
the valley, while the Philistines, coming up 
from the plains, were on the south-west. 


96 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


From their camps the soldiers could look 
over the low hills intervening and beyond 
them, and beyond the plain could see the 
blue waters of the Great Sea. 

For a while the armies encamped face to 
face, each apparently waiting for the other 
to begin the attack, and each hesitating to 
do so until better acquainted with the 
strength of the other. The hesitation ceased 
by the Philistines sending forth a warrior 
who boldly challenged the Israelites to choose 
some one to battle with him ; whichever one 
should be defeated should carry with him 
the defeat of the entire army he represented. 
But so terrible was the appearance of this 
champion that none in the army of Israel 
dared attempt the conflict. Thus day after 
day passed, and still the battle was deferred, 
until dismay grew in the hearts of the chil- 
dren of Israel. 

‘‘Fifteen miles toward the east, in obe- 
dience to his father’s wishes, David was 
tending the sheep, but in his own heart was 
waiting for the Lord to open the way of 
life before him. As the army lingers and 
no news comes to the aged Jesse concerning 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


97 


the welfare of his sons, who are with the 
king’s guard, he prepares a portion of food 
for David to take to his brothers, with in- 
structions for him to return with news to 
calm his solicitude. Jesse therefore said to 
David, ‘ Take now for thy brethren an ephah 
of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, 
and run to the camp to thy brethren ; and 
carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of 
their thousand, and look how thy brethren 
fare, and take their pledge.’ 

‘‘ David left his sheep with one of the 
servants, and at once started for the camp. 
This was not hard to find, for the way was 
almost a straight course from Bethlehem. 

‘‘ As David came near the place wdiere the 
baggage- vehicles were arranged into a sort 
of rampart, he heard the shouting of the sol- 
diers as they went to the slope of the hill 
in battle-array. David’s heart was stirred 
by the sound of the shoutings, and, leaving 
his bread and cheeses with the keeper of the 
baggage of the host, he ran into the army 
and saluted his brethren by the usual ex- 
pression of peace. No doubt Eliab and his 
brethren were glad to hear from home and 

7 


98 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


to receive the tokens of their father’s care 
for them, but while David was speaking 
with them a commotion in the valley cast a 
fear over them all, and they drew back from 
before the enemy who faced them. This 
was what David heard. In loud tones that 
seemed to reach even to the neighboring 
hills a giant warrior said, ‘Why are ye 
come out to set your battle in array ? Am 
not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul ? 
Choose you a man for you, and let him come 
down to me. If he be able to fight with me 
and to kill me, then will we be your serv- 
ants : but if I prevail against him, and kill 
him, then shall ye be our servants and serve 
us then, raising his voice still louder and 
brandishing his spear, he shouted, ‘I defy 
the armies of Israel this day ; give me a 
man, that we may fight together.’ It was 
the appearance and the words of this giant 
that struck consternation into the heart of 
King Saul and all his host. 

“ David, coming to the camp as a stranger, 
was met by the soldiers with the question, 
‘ Have ye seen this man that is come up ? 
surely to defy Israel is he come up ; and 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH 99 

the king has made proclamation urging 
some one to accept the challenge, and prom- 
ising to the man that killeth him a reward 
of great riches, the hand of his daughter in 
marriage and the freedom of his father’s house 
in Israel from taxes. Surely this is great 
reward, but, although this Goliath of Gath 
hath come out with his challenge every 
morning and evening for forty days, and 
the king’s proclamation hath been made 
known daily to all by the heralds, yet no 
one has been found in all the warrior-hosts 
of Israel to venture the combat.’ 

David was thoroughly aroused by this 
information. Without seeming to speak to 
any one, but with flashing eyes and stirring 
tones of voice, he said before the group of 
soldiers, ‘ What shall be done to the man 
that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away 
the reproach from Israel ? for who is this un- 
circumcised Philistine that he should defy 
the armies of the living God ?’ 

“ David’s manner at once attracted the at- 
tention of all about him. How brave he ap- 
peared ! How indignantly his eyes flashed ! 
How noble his bearing! How penetrating 


100 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


his voice as he hurled words of contempt to- 
ward the foe and reverentially referred to the 
living God as holding the headship of Israel’s 
army ! To David it was not merely a battle 
between man and man, but the army of the 
living God resisting the army of dead idols. 

Some of the soldiers repeated the words 
of the king’s proclamation, when Eliab, 
stirred with anger at the presumption of 
his youthful brother, chided him by accus- 
ing him of falsely representing the purpose 
of his coming to the camp. He sneeringly 
said to him, ‘ Why earnest thou down hither ? 
and with whom hast thou left those few 
sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy pride, 
and the naughtiness of thine heart ; for thou 
art come down that thou mightest see the 
battle.’ 

David did not stop to resent the sneer : 
his soul was too deej)ly stirred by the Phil- 
istine’s insult to the hosts of the Lord. He 
simply replied, 'What have I now done? 
Is there not a cause ?’ and, turning from 
Eliab to the crowd, he repeated the words 
that had stirred Eliab’s wrath. By this 
time his manner had excited attention, and 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


101 


one of the soldiers repeated the words of the 
king’s proclamation, while another soldier 
went to the king, and, repeating David’s 
words, induced the king to call into his 
presence the only one who had dared to 
utter brave words against the foe. 

Once more David stands before the tent 
of his king and sees the monarch sitting in 
his chair holding in his hand the spear which 
was admired by all Israel. Saul did not rec- 
ognize David ; he saw only a muscular, 
brave-looking young man clothed in shep- 
herd-garb, holding in his hand the shep- 
herd’s staff, with a wallet and sling attached 
to his girdle. These the shepherd always 
had with him, whether at home or abroad. 

‘^In answer to the king’s question con- 
cerning his words David says, ‘ I./et no man’s 
heart fail because of him ; thy servant will 
go and fight with this Philistine.’ This 
seemed brave enough on David’s part, but 
Saul was a prudent warrior; the man who 
fought Goliath did it not for himself alone, 
but for the whole host of Israel. Would it 
be wise to risk the lives of all on this new and 
untried man ? Hence he said to him, ' Thou 


102 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


art not able to go against this Philistine to 
fight with him ; for thou art but a youth, 
and he a man of war from his youth.’ 

“ How noble was David’s answer ! He 
knew his own strength and courage — they 
had been tried — but with these alone he did 
not presume to go into the battle — rather, in 
the name of the Lord and resting in the di- 
vine protection. He answered, ‘ Thy serv- 
ant kept his father’s sheep, and there came 
a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of 
the flock : and I went out after him, and 
smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: 
and when he arose against me, I caught him 
by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear : 
and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as 
one of them, seeing that he hath defied the 
armies of the living God. The Lord that 
delivered me out of the paw of the bear, he 
will deliver me out of the hand of this Phil- 
istine.’ 

“ Against such faith Saul had no answer. 
He was moved by it ; it seemed to be the 
very breath of power; hence he said to 
David, ' Go, and the Lord be with thee.’ 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


103 


‘‘The consent of the king thus gained, 
David was prepared for the conflict. The 
idea of the king seemed to be that David 
should make as striking an appearance as 
possible, and, as representing the king, should 
be clothed in the king’s own armor. This 
was indeed a great honor and showed sublime 
confidence in David. What disgrace would 
have rested on Israel if the brilliant, shining 
armor of their king should be trampled in the 
dust by the idolatrous Philistine and in the 
sight of the host of the enemy ! David 
allowed them to clothe him in it, but, not 
being used to it, it burdened him. His 
arms were hindered by it; in it he could 
not use the weapons to which he was ac- 
customed ; so that he put it off and ad- 
vanced into the battle as he would have 
gone against a lion or a bear on his native 
hills. 

“What a spectacle now greeted the eyes 
of the hosts ! How the ranks of both armies 
crowded toward the valley ! What whisper- 
ings and shoutings there were amongst the 
men ! Forty days of silence were now 
broken by the acceptance of the challenge. 


104 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


and all realized that the fate of an army was 
to be decided. The mighty giant, the cham- 
pion of Gath, appeared in all his glory. 
Preceding him walked his armor-bearer, 
carrying his huge shield, and the contrast 
in the size of the two men mightily im- 
pressed the hosts with the immensity of Go- 
liath. The giant was clothed in splendor. 
He was about ten feet in height, and his 
height was increased by the lofty brazen 
helmet he wore on his head ; his body was 
covered with a suit of mail formed of metal- 
lic scales overlapping one another, and was 
so heavy that it weighed one hundred and 
thirty-nine pounds ; over his legs were greaves 
of brass of similar construction ; over his 
shoulder he carried a javelin or sword, and 
in his hand he bore a spear which had a 
head of iron so heavy that it weighed more 
than sixteen pounds. As the rays of the 
sun fell upon him the reflection from his' 
polished brazen armor was dazzling to the 
eyes. He was truly the most gorgeous mili- 
tary spectacle that had ever appeared before 
the eyes of the Israelites, and in his presence 
even King Saul was insignificant, while King 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


105 


SauFs royal spear was henceforth as nothing 
to those who gazed upon the awful weapon 
the staff of which was like a weaver’s beam. 
How proudly the Philistines shouted as their 
champion went forth ! for Goliath was one 
of the few descendants of the ancient Ana- 
kim, the race of giants who in the ancient 
days had struck terror into the hearts of the 
spies Moses sent into the land. 

On the opposite hillside came David, the 
representative of Israel, but he was so small 
that he appeared to be not much larger than 
one of the limbs of the giant. There was 
nothing brilliant in his appearance ; he had no 
shining metallic suit to increase his glory, no 
powerful weapons to show the strength of his 
arm, no armor-bearer to accompany him or to 
serve him in the fray. Doubts, terror and 
hurried whisperings agitated the host of Israel. 
‘ Who is he?’ is the cry. For shame, Eliab 
answers not the question. King Saul says to 
Abner, the general of his forces, ‘Abner, 
whose son is this youth ?’ but Abner can only 
say, ‘ As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.’ 

“ As a shepherd goeth forth to lead his 
flock with arms, shoulders, head, legs and 


106 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


feet bare, with only his common blue tunic 
covering his body, with his shepherd-staff in 
one hand and some small object in the other, 
with his pouch about his waist fastened to 
his girdle, with a quick step and a bold coun- 
tenance, so this youth goes forward. He 
comes to the brook in the midst of the val- 
ley ; he stoops down and picks up five smooth 
stones, which he places in his pouch. He 
loosens the leather sling which he carries 
in his right hand ; he crosses the brook ; he 
ascends the hill toward the Philistines, and 
on their own ground becomes the aggressor. 
Goliath moves forward. He is angry ; he 
feels a positive contempt for the foe ; he sees 
only a smooth-faced youth, not a soldier. He 
sees the staff, and his fury breaks forth as he 
thinks it is not a warrior sent to fight him, 
but a boy to insult him. He says to him, 
‘ Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with 
staves?’ and then in his anger he curses 
David by his gods. He says also, ‘ Come to 
me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls 
of the air, and to the beasts of the field.’ 

“ Horrible as the giant’s imprecations 
sounded, terrifying though they were to the 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


107 


soldiers of Israel, the heart of David quailed 
not ; he did not fear curses. Goliath’s 
curses were as dead as the gods whose names 
he shouted forth. David answered, ‘ Thou 
comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, 
and with a shield : but I come to thee in the 
name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the 
armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 
This day will the Lord deliver thee into 
mine hand : and I will smite thee, and take 
thine head from thee; and I will give the 
carcases of the host of the Philistines this 
day unto the fowls of the air, and to the 
wild beasts of the earth ; that all the earth 
may know that there is a God in Israel. 
And all this assembly shall know that the 
Lord saveth not with sword and spear : for 
the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you 
into our hands.’ It was enough ; the fate 
of Israel rested on the success of this fair- 
faced youth. More than that, the trust- 
worthiness of Israel’s religion was at stake, 
and Goliath went forward to meet David, 
intending with one stroke of his spear to 
strike him down and give his carcase to the 
buzzards of the fields. 


108 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


‘‘ David too moved forward — not slowly 
and majestically, but running, and as he 
ran he fitted a stone to his sling. He kept 
his eyes on the face of the huge giant. He 
drew back his muscular arm ; he leaned 
forward as if to gather power ; he whirled 
his arm over his head. With terrific force 
the stone left the sling, cleaved the air 
and struck the forehead of the giant just 
beneath the glistening brazen helmet; but 
David ceased not running toward his terrible 
foe. 

When the stone struck Goliath, he took 
not another step. The spear dropped from 
his hand ; his arms convulsively moved 
toward his head ; his huge body for a second 
seemed to sway, and then with a cry of 
agony he fell to the ground upon his face. 
In another second David was upon him. 
Quickly drawing the giant’s own sword out 
of its sheath, he lifted high the shining 
blade, then with a mighty stroke brought it 
down on the giant’s neck, severing the head 
from the body, and the next second, as the 
blood spurted forth, he stood on the body 
of his foe, lifted high before all the head. 


THE SLAYING OF GOLIATH. 


109 


dripping with gore, of the vanquished foe, 
and claimed the victory. 

“ Surprised, in terror, the Philistines 
turned to flee. Over the hills, down the 
ravines, in the tangled thickets, thinking 
only of escape, they ran, with the soldiers 
of Israel in quick pursuit. It was a run- 
ning massacre, and the Philistine dead 
marked the way clear to the gates of Gath, 
ten miles to the south, and of Ekron, fifteen 
miles to the north. That day the mountain- 
wady flowed with blood, and the blood of 
Samson and of the sons of Eli was avenged. 
The Israelites returned from the slaughter 
and spoiled the tents of the Philistines. 

‘‘Abner found David as he came back from 
the slaughter ; he led him into the presence 
of the king, David still carrying the head 
of Goliath in his hand. The king, looking 
upon David with delight, asked, ‘ Whose son 
art thou, thou young man V and David, with 
sparkling eyes and a voice of tender family- 
pride as he thought of the old man in the 
home at Bethlehem, replied, ‘ I am the son 
of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.' ” 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE KING’S TREACHERY. 

W HEN David had before met the king, 
he pleased him, but he was soon for- 
gotten ; now, however, his deed has been of 
such a nature as to turn the attention of all 
the army toward him. The king, with 
Jonathan, the heir to the throne, and Abner, 
the captain of the host, receive the brave 
youth in the royal tent, and from his own 
lips learn of his family and of the spirit 
which prompted him to engage in the battle. 
Saul decided not to allow him to return to 
his home; there was a higher use for his 
abilities than tending sheep. He was in 
every way fitted to be a soldier, and in the 
camp he should remain. 

‘‘Jonathan felt such a glow of heart 
toward David that he loved him as his own 
soul, and to show that love conferred upon 
him the highest mark of honor a prince 
110 


THE KINO'S TREACHERY. 


Ill 


could confer upon one of his people: he 
took ofip his own princely robe and placed 
it on David ; he clothed David in his own 
garments. He gave him his sword, his bow 
and his handsomely-embroidered girdle, and, 
more than this, expressed equality with him 
by entering into the blood-covenant of 
mutual faith, of protection and of sympathy, 
so that their hearts should beat as one. 
Saul also gave David command over a body 
of trained veterans ; the people honored the 
brave youth ; and even the courtiers who 
served about the throne had not a word to 
speak against the favored hero. The Israelites 
continued to punish the Philistines. David’s 
veterans were victorious in every conflict, 
and his name rose higher and higher in the 
estimation of the soldiers. 

“ In the mean time, the story of the 
youth’s brave deeds had circulated through- 
out the land. It was recited to the families 
at their hearthstones; in every town and 
in every village his name was praised, until 
popular applause pronounced him to be the 
object of the hero-worshiping sentiment of 
the people. In Bethlehem, Jesse with over- 


112 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


flowing heart received the congratulations 
of the elders. Joab, Abishai, Asahel and 
Amasa repeated the story at the well by the 
gate, and the maidens who had been David’s 
companions chanted his praises. Samuel in 
Ramah heard the story, and his aged heart 
beat rapidly as he praised God for permit- 
ting him to anoint so noble a soul to lead 
his people Israel. Thus, while David was 
aiding to finish the war in his first attempts 
at soldiering, his honors were spreading all 
over Israel, and, great as were these honors, 
he showed no signs of exulting over his 
brethren, but with modesty did his duty as 
the king gave him commands. 

At length the war was over ; all need- 
ing suppression that was left was the occa- 
sional foray of predatory bands, who, as in 
all the past, would, whenever opportunity 
offered, ascend the hills to wreak vengeance 
on some unprotected hamlet or sheepfold. 
Then came the return of the army to the 
king’s court and its dispersion, with the 
going forth of the soldiers to their homes. 
It was a triumphal march, and deputations 
from the cities and the villages of Israel 


THE KING^S TREACHERY. 


113 


came crowding into the towns along the line 
of march to see the host, receive their heroes 
and shout their songs of praise for the great 
work done. 

“ The heart of King Saul was always made 
glad by these tokens of the joy of the people. 
When the women praised, the greatest heroes 
bent their heads to listen for approval. 
And now the women came out of all the 
cities of Israel, singing and dancing, with 
their three-stringed instruments of music, 
with their harps and their triangles. They 
sung antiphonal songs ; they arranged them- 
selves on either side of the way ; they 
were grouped in choruses, the one party sing- 
ing the answer to the other. Thus they 
welcomed their heroes home. 

Saul was unhappy ; he saw that it was 
not his splendid armor and his majestic form 
that were now the centre of attraction, as 
they had been for years, but the ruddy- 
faced youth arrayed in the gifts of Jonathan, 
followed by his armor-bearer carrying the 
armor, the sword and the head of Goliath. 
Around him the crowds shouted ; to him 
the women sung the antiphonal choruses, 

8 


114 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and as they struck their instruments they 
chanted, ‘ Saul hath slain his thousands, and 
David his ten thousands and thus it was 
all along the way to the throne in Gibeah. 

Saul was grieved ; then he became 
angry. His rage continued to increase, 
until it grew uncontrollable. One who 
prided himself on his power as a king was 
jealous of the praises of his feeblest women. 

“ The night followed the day, but sleep came 
not to the king; instead, memory brought 
before him the words of Samuel prophesying 
the loss of his throne. In his bitterness of 
spirit he cried out, ‘ They have ascribed 
unto David ten thousands, and to me they 
have ascribed but thousands ; and what can 
he have more but the kingdom V To pre- 
vent this Saul determined to keep a close 
watch on David from that day forth. 

‘‘ When the morning came the king was 
fast yielding to the power of the evil spirit. 
No check having been put on his anger and 
his jealousy, they now bereft him of reason, 
and he could no longer exercise self-control. 
His countenance was darkened, his eyes lost 
their clearness ; he could not distinctly artic- 


THE KINO'S TREACHERY. 


115 


ulate his words, and he raved like one of the 
prophets in the time of prophetical utter- 
ance. The state of his mind was terrible, 
and all the joy over his safe return could not 
allay this dread visitation. The gladness of 
his household was turned into mourning, and 
the triumph of Israel was forgotten in the 
thralldom of Saul. 

The remembrance of David’s musical 
powers formerly relieving the king led David 
to enter the apartment of Saul with his harp 
again to attempt to exorcise the spirit, but 
the music seemed to have lost its power : it 
was neutralized by the presence of the player 
who was the innocent cause of this attack of 
the malady. As David played the king 
threateningly rose from his seat with his jav- 
elin in his hand, and David withdrew from 
his presence. In a few moments he again 
enters to endeavor to soothe the perturbed 
soul, but again the king threatens to pin him 
to the wall ; and David once more finds safety 
in withdrawing. Then the king, having 
given vent to his anger, sinks into a quiet 
slumber; and when he awakenes his soul 
is calm again : the evil spirit has left him. 


116 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


From this time Saul was afraid of Da- 
vid : he began to associate with him the 
threatenings of the prophet. He was dis- 
turbed by the calmness and the irreproach- 
able conduct of the young man ; he saw 
plainly that he was not only a man of valor, 
but of great discretion, and that the Spirit 
of the Lord was with him. Hence he deter- 
mined to remove him from his presence. All 
the court liked David ; the soldiers sought 
his friendship, the women praised him and 
the people loved him. The king could not 
utter a complaint against him ; he could not 
remove him without cause, for fear Israel 
might follow after him. To get rid of him 
he gave him the command over a thousand 
men and sent him forth to watch over the 
defences of the land. This, however in- 
creased the popularity of the young captain, 
for the people trusted his watch-care and 
the enemies of the land were driven away, 
particularly from those parts of Judah bor- 
dering the desert of the South and the Phil- 
istine plain. David showed himself to be a 
wise captain, and that the Lord was indeed 
with him. 


THE KING’S TREACHERY. 


117 


“ The story of David’s life at this time 
takes us from the court to the camp, and 
from the camp to the court. It is a story of 
love and of hate, of intrigue and of jealousy, 
of perfidy and of faithfulness, of fidelity and 
of hypocrisy. It is a drama of splendid 
action, and in the few verses of the historian 
a graphic insight is given into the political 
evolution of that time. 

“ David had not yet received the reward 
promised to the slayer of Goliath. He was 
poor ; his father’s house was not entered on 
the free list, nor had he wedded the daughter 
of the king ; yet he had won all these, and 
since having done this had repeatedly given 
proof of his valor in battle and his wisdom 
in counsel. 

“Saul, led on by his growing jealousy, 
now desires the death of David, and seeks it 
through the hands of the Philistines ; for he 
says, ‘ Let not mine hand be upon him, but 
let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.’ 
In fulfilling his promise to the savior of the 
army he sees the opportunity to carry into 
effect this dreadful act of treachery. He says 
to David, ‘ Behold my elder daughter Merab ; 


118 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


her will I give thee to wife. Only be thou 
valiant for me, and fight the Lord’s battles,’ 
thus urging him still further to distinguish 
himself in battle and be the more worthy of 
an alliance with the king’s household. David 
does not seem very much to desire Merab, 
for he says, ^ Who am I ? and what is my 
life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I 
should be son-in-law to the king?’ We 
now see Saul’s treachery going a step far- 
ther ; for when David had well earned this 
reward, according to the king’s promise, 
Merab was given to another instead of to 
him. 

‘‘Again the treachery of Saul finds its 
opportunity, for Michal, his youngest daugh- 
ter, loves David and desires him as her 
spouse. When this is told to Saul, he can- 
not restrain his delight, but says, ‘ I will 
give him her, that she may be a snare to 
him, and that the hand of the Philistines 
may be against him ;’ and he himself in- 
forms David that this very day he may have 
one of the king’s daughters for his wife. 

“ The custom was for the father to receive 
a dowry for his daughter when given in 


THE KING^S TREACHERY. 


119 


marriage, and David was poor ; how, then, 
could he fulfill this essential requirement ? 
But Saul will bend every influence to cause 
David’s destruction, and, as David appears 
so discreet in conversation, the king employs 
the royal servants, David’s companions, to 
lead him into the snares set for him. 
Prompted by the king, they, with the ap- 
pearance of friendship, commune with David 
secretly, and say, ^ Behold, the king hath 
delight in thee, and all his servants love 
thee; now therefore be the king’s son-in- 
law.’ David, in equal confidence, states to 
them his trouble; he says, ‘Seemeth it to 
you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, 
seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly 
esteemed?’ When this was told to Saul, he 
said to them that they should tell David 
that the king would be satisfied if David 
would kill a hundred Philistines and bring 
him the evidence of it. By this means Saul 
hoped to have David entrapped in battle 
and slain, for he now knew that David loved 
Michal, and that he would surely seek the 
required dowry. 

David was indeed pleased, and without 


120 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


delay proceeded to accomplish the task set 
him. He knew just where to find the foe ; 
with his faithful men he fell upon them. 
He ceased not the strife until he had obtained 
double the number of tokens required, and 
then he returned to Gibeah, and the number 
of tokens required, twice over, were counted 
out and piled up before the king. Thus 
David won his bride, and Saul, now seeing 
that the Lord was with him, feared him 
more than before, and became his enemy 
continually. 

‘‘ The price David had paid for Michal 
stirred the Philistines throughout the length 
and breadth of their land, and their princes 
went forth to carry death and desolation 
wherever they could prevail ; but through 
this David again won renown, for in the 
strife he behaved himself more wisely than 
all the servants of Saul — that is, as a soldier 
he was quicker to anticipate the foe and 
turn the battle against them than any other 
soldier ; so that from one end of the land to 
the other the people cherished his name, 
looked to him for defence and shouted his 
praises.” 


CHAPTER X. 


DAVID^S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE FROM SAUL. 

‘‘ rpHE price David paid secured him Michal 

-L by betrothal, but the marriage was 
deferred until his return from the battles 
caused by his slaughter of the two hundred 
Philistines. This delay was not objection- 
able, as there usually intervened a period of 
time between betrothal and marriage to 
enable both parties to prepare for that con- 
summation. 

‘‘As David was now a prominent officer 
at the court of the king, it was necessary for 
him to prepare his residence in the city in 
which the king dwelt. He chose a house built 
against and over the city wall; from the 
windows he could see spread before him the 
lovely valley which on every hand surround- 
ed the hill Gibeon. His father gladly 
assisted him in meeting the expenses of his 
settlement, for as the king’s son-in-law he 

121 


122 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


must maintain hospitality to an extent com- 
mensurate with the social station of his 
bride. The poverty which he pleaded when 
offered the hand of Merab, the king’s eldest 
daughter, must have been quickly overcome 
when Michal was offered ; perhaps in the 
plundering of the Philistines there fell to 
him a large share of all that his soldiers 
obtained, and in the tents of the Philistines 
there were generally valuable stores of gold, 
silver, ornaments and weapons. We can 
see him returning victorious, with his armor- 
bearers carrying his wealth, his heart jubi- 
lant because he is now able to take his bride 
from her father’s house and provide her a 
suitable home. 

‘‘ What a scene of gayety was presented ! 
In all respects it was the most gorgeous wed- 
ding of that time, and awakened through- 
out the entire country, from Dan to Beer- 
sheba, the interest of the people. The bride 
was the youngest daughter of their king, 
given by the father as a reward for valor ; it 
was the gift of the nation to the man who 
had saved them from the haughty giant 
before whom Israel had turned to flee. It 


DAVID^S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 123 


was a heart-union, for the maiden and the 
hero loved each other ; so that innocency and 
joy were invoked to crown the festive scene. 
The bridegroom, as the son of one of the 
most honorable families in the land, one of 
the most successful soldiers, the favorite of 
the army, young, handsome and brilliant, 
the hero of the nation and especially hon- 
ored by the prophet of the Lord, was dear 
to all hearts. 

‘‘ The wedding-ceremonies were appointed 
to take place at the king’s palace in Gibeah 
amidst all the splendor of the court and the 
army, and from all parts of the land the 
people were welcomed who chose to come 
and add their friendly rejoicings to the occa- 
sion. Never before had such a wedding 
been known in Israel. 

‘‘The wedding began by the bridegroom 
going to the house of the bride, there meet- 
ing her and taking her to the house he had 
prepared. He attired himself in a festive 
dress, wearing on his head a handsome turban 
and a nuptial garland. He was decorated 
and clothed in the most brilliant scarfs and 
mantles that could be woven in his father’s 


124 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


famous loom with a skill in design and color- 
ing handed down from the days of Rahab, 
such as before had been seen only within 
the precincts of the holy tabernacle. His 
person and his clothing were redolent with 
myrrh and frankincense and all the powders 
of the merchants, such as were found only in 
the great marts of the Philistine plain where 
the desert-caravans unloaded their treasures 
— perfumes from India, Persia and wealthy 
Nineveh such as the Philistine captains de- 
lighted in, but yielded to the conqueror when 
David spoiled their sumptuous tents. 

“The day preceding the bride had for- 
mally and with great pomp taken a bath 
and was clothed in her ceremonial attire. 
Her robes were of the finest white linen 
embroidered with gold thread. She wore a 
girdle handsomely adorned with jewels, 
which was the evidence of her station as the 
king’s daughter. Her hair was loosely flow- 
ing over her shoulders, and upon her brow 
was bound the bride’s chaplet. She also was 
redolent Avith choicest perfumes and fairly 
glittered in the variety and quantity of jew- 
els she wore. Beautiful she must have been 


DAVID^S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 125 


to have won David’s love ; wealthy she cer- 
tainly was, as the daughter of the king, and, 
with the pride of the human heart, in this 
the greatest day of her life she sought to 
appear in all the splendor at her command. 
She knew the king would be delighted with 
her magnificence : her husband was proud 
of her glory ; all the officers of the army, 
clothed in the choicest garments they pos- 
sessed, would bow before her, and out of 
their distant homes maidens were coming to 
see the king’s daughter wed their beautiful 
hero. 

‘‘ The procession was led by the choicest 
musicians in the land — trumpeters from the 
army, players on instruments from the king’s 
court, singers perhaps from the school of the 
prophets, close by, David’s own particular 
friends. By the side of the king was Abner, 
the captain of the host, in glittering brazen 
armor ; Jonathan in royal purple robes simi- 
lar to those worn by his father ; Ahimelech, 
the high priest, from Nob, in all the splen- 
dor of his official vestments ; Jesse, the ven- 
erable father, leaning on his staff; Samuel, 
who had come down from Bamah to bless 


126 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE, 


his happy friend ; Eliab, proud now of the 
brother he had rebuked ; Joab, Abishai, 
Asahel and Amasa ; David’s guard of a thou- 
sand brave soldiers whom he had led in bat- 
tle ; the hosts of friends whom he had gained 
out of various parts of Israel. As they went 
to the bridegroom’s house a thousand torches 
blazed, a thousand voices shouted hurrahs 
and a thousand pair of hands threw out the 
usual gift of parched corn to the friends of 
the virgin bride. 

‘‘The feast lasted for seven days before 
due honors were done the king’s daughter 
and the hero, during which time the de- 
lightful fruit of the vines of Tekoa in- 
creased the merriment, and the choice wheat 
from the Bethlehem fields, with a multitude 
of lambs and kids from the king’s flocks, 
gave the feasters renewed strength. The 
young men engaged in trials of strength, 
the maidens in dances, the mature men in 
solving riddles, the old men in telling of 
the deeds done by heroes of the past. At 
length the feast ended. The army went to 
its quarters, the people returned to their 
homes. David and his bride took possession 


DAVID^S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 127 

of their own house, but Saul turned to 
nursing new conspiracies against his son-in- 
law. 

“Saul’s profession of friendship faded 
away with the day, and on the morrow his 
fear of David, his distrust and jealousy, 
were as strong as before, and in the pres- 
ence of his courtiers and before Jonathan he 
announced his earnest desire to see his son- 
in-law lying dead before him. In the serv- 
ants, who understood that Saul had the 
power to protect and reward, this, no doubt, 
awakened a feeling against the man whom 
the king hated ; so that from this time forth 
dreadful treachery lurked in their every 
smile. David was prudent enough success- 
fully to conceal his suspicions and his knowl- 
edge of their devices, yet right well did he 
discern whom to watch as the most likely 
to carry into effect the king’s desires. 

“Jonathan was touched with a sense of 
the enormous wickedness of such an act 
against his blood-covenant brother, and by 
a skillful scheme he led his father the king 
to walk with him in a place where David 
might be able to overhear their conversation, 


128 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and thus to know the real attitude of the 
king toward him. With danger to his own 
life from the rashness of the king, Jonathan 
undertook the defence of his friend. He 
spoke to his father of David’s good qualities, 
of his superiority to the other captains, his 
trusty heart and sure hand, his reverence 
for the king and his obedience to all the 
king’s commands. He reminded him how, 
in the presence of Saul, the court and the 
army, David had so valiantly risked his 
life when he fought Goliath, and how at 
that time the king had admired him and 
rejoiced in his victory ; then he spoke of the 
sin of shedding innocent blood which would 
be committed if the king slew David with- 
out a cause. He pleaded until Saul’s stern 
heart relented and by an oath he confirmed 
his resolution that David should not be slain. 
With gladness of heart Jonathan told these 
things to David and led him into his father’s 
presence. The reconciliation was an affect- 
ing scene. All the good in Saul’s nature 
seemed to have triumphed. With tears of 
joy Jonathan saw smiles on Saul’s face as 
he tenderly greeted David and called him 


DAVID'S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 129 

liis son, and by this reunion all were happy 
again. 

“While this joy was prevailing at Gibeah 
from the plains of the South-west the hoarse 
cry of war once more burst forth, and the 
trumpets sounded their call to arms. David 
with his brave soldiers rushed forth. They 
knew every ravine and torrent-bed in the 
land ; they anticipated the attacks of the 
foe ; they met them in fair battle ; they 
slaughtered them with a great slaughter, 
and the Philistines fled from before them. 
Wherever David appeared they were de- 
feated ; it seemed as if he were the terrible 
Nemesis mocking them in every conflict. 
In triumph, with multiplied honors, his 
valor praised on every hand, David returned 
to his house in Gibeah and to his place in 
the court of his king. 

“These praises of David were as poison 
to the king, and the evil spirit seized hold 
of his brain to torture him more severely 
than in the past. David, ever ready to do 
good, with the melody of his harp again 
attempts to soothe the soul of the monarch. 
— Listen, Saul ! Treasure every note in thy 


130 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


memory, for it is the last time these notes 
shall sound in thine ears. 

“The king sat with his javelin in his 
hand while David played before him. The 
evil spirit, aroused to its full proportions, 
defied all restraint, leaped into the brain of 
the jealous despot, seized his arm, and then 
the maddened king, quickly rising, with 
tremendous force hurled his javelin at the 
unprotected minstrel. But his wrath affect- 
ed his aim, and the keen, glittering weapon, 
missing the mark by a hair’s-breadth, 
pierced the wall. In an instant David fled. 
He stopped not to parley, but went at once 
to his home. 

“SauFs royal residence was as a watch- 
tower on the top of Gibeon ; beneath it were 
the houses of the city, in one of which dwelt 
David with his beloved wife Michal. The 
monarch had no sooner realized that David 
had without leave left the royal apartments 
than he called some of his servants and sent 
them, thoroughly armed, to stand before 
David^s door, watch for his coming forth 
and slay him in the morning. The soldiers 
thus commissioned had no choice but to 


DAVID’S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 131 


obey : their only wishes were the com- 
mands of their sovereign ; and in the dark- 
ness of the night, with swords and spears in 
their hands and coats of mail upon their 
bodies, they marched to the house of the ill- 
fated object of despotic wrath to await the 
hours of light in which to do their bloody 
work. 

David was within his house, conversing 
with his wife, the daughter of Saul, who 
realized even better than he her father’s 
desperate nature. She heard the story of 
the narrow escape from the javelin ; she 
noted the tramp of the soldiery before the 
door. With quick intuition she grasped the 
whole situation, and at once became the mas- 
ter-mind. She said to her husband, ‘ Delay 
not, but flee at once. I know the quick im- 
pulses that control my father. He will not 
wait for the morning ; even now he may 
come to slay thee. Arise, my beloved ! 
Flee, and thou shalt be saved.’ From its 
hiding-place she brought forth a rope ; she 
fastened a bar — to which she tied the rope — 
across the window. Then, with a lingering 
embrace of sweetest afiection, with kisses 


132 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and with tears, the husband and wife sepa- 
rated. David slid down the rope, from the 
ground waved his bride farewell, and disap- 
peared in the adjoining fields. 

Follow him with thy loving glance as 
far as thou canst, O Michal ! Never again 
shalt thou see him with that same look of 
love. Fourteen years shall pass by before 
thine eyes shall again behold him, and then 
oh how changed ye both will be ! 

‘‘ But the safety of David was not yet as- 
sured. When Michal could no longer see 
him in the darkness, she removed the bar 
and the rope and hid them, then closed the 
lattice-work and prepared to keep his escape 
undiscovered as long as possible. 

As was customary in many of the house- 
holds of Israel, though contrary to the law of 
the Lord, this household possessed images 
which were called teraphim, or household gods 
— a kind of statuary supposed to possess some 
mysterious oracular power. Michahs were 
about life-size. She may have obtained them 
from her father’s house, or David may have 
captured them in some Philistine camp and 
have set them up in his own home. Michal 


BAVID^S MARRIAGE AND ESCAPE. 133 


takes one of these images and places it in 
David’s bed, then puts his soft pillow of 
goats’ hair beneath the head of the image, 
and over it, in thick folds, lays the screen- 
net — also of goat’s hair — so commonly used 
by the wealthy to protect them in their slum- 
bers from the gnats and other insects that 
fly abroad in the night-time. 

‘‘As the loving wife had surmised, Saul 
did not wait for morning. His whole nature 
thirsting for blood, he sent messengers to 
take David and at once to bring him to the 
king’s hall of judgment. Michal led the 
messengers to the door of the apartment to 
impress them with the belief that David was 
in his bed, then directed them to return to 
Saul with the answer that he whom they 
sought was sick. 

“When the messengers had given their 
report, Saul’s rage was greater than ever. 
What cared he for David’s sickness ? Strid- 
ing furiously before the guards, he command- 
ed them, ‘Bring him up to me in his bed, 
that I may slay him.’ 

“ Once more the messengers enter the 
house of the king’s son-in-law, determined 


134 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


this time not to be balked in their purpose 
even by the king’s daughter. But Michal 
resists no longer. The emissaries rush to 
the bed, with savage hands tear aside the 
netting, and, lo ! there is no man in the bed, 
but only an image resting upon a pillow of 
goats’ hair. 

‘‘ Who can measure the fury of a thwart- 
ed despot ! Even Michal cowered in fear 
before Saul’s terrible wu'ath. When the 
king was able to suppress his anger suf- 
ficiently to speak, he said to her, ‘ Why hast 
thou deceived me so, and sent away mine 
enemy, that he is escaped?’ Michal, fear- 
ing for her own life if the truth were told, 
shielded herself by a falsehood which seemed 
to unite her with her father and to make 
David’s crime the greater. She said, ‘ He 
said unto me. Let me go ; why should I kill 
thee?’ 

‘‘Saul’s wrath did not subside, but im- 
mediately he sent his messengers throughout 
the land to find David and bring him home 
that he might take his life.” 


CHAPTEE XI. 


REFUGE WITH THE LORD’S PROPHETS. 

A IDED by the darkuess, David carefully 
^ sought to elude the watchfulness of the 
sentinels placed about the city and the camp 
and the notice of the king^s herdsmen, who 
were guarding their herds in the fields 
through which he must pass, and also to 
leave no tracks by which the king’s guards 
would be able to follow him should they 
attempt to do so. David directed his steps 
toward Eamah, where he expected to find a 
refuge under the protecting influence of the 
Lord’s prophet, whom Saul would hardly 
dare assail. 

“ Before the day dawned David entered 
Bamah and was folded in the embrace of 
the aged prophet. Samuel loved him as the 
apple of his eye, for since it had been re- 
vealed to him that David was the Lord’s 
choice as king of Israel, David had taken 

135 


136 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


the place in Samuers heart Saul had possessed. 
David did not know this, and to Samuel he 
unburdened his heavy-ladened heart, telling 
him how Saul from the very beginning had 
defrauded him, had practiced guile with him, 
and had sought to deprive him of life by 
placing him in dangerous places before the 
foe, by inciting his servants to slay him and 
by his own hand hurling his javelin at him ; 
and that all the favors he had received 
carried underneath them a secret sting; so 
that he knew of no way by which to save 
his life except by coming to Samuel for 
support and protection. 

The bravest of hearts have their times 
of despondency, the strongest soldiers their 
moments of tenderness, the most able their 
hours of weakness, and those who lead oth- 
ers to victory their times in which the sym- 
pathy of their feeblest followers is sweet 
to their souls. Samuel knew exactly what 
David needed. The impulsive, enthusiastic 
lad had been suddenly taken from the 
isolated sheepfolds and thrust into the very 
front of battle, intrigue and treachery, and 
he had unexpectedly gained renown, but 


REFUGE WITH THE PROPHETS. 137 

with it the hatred of the king and the 
deceit of the king’s courtiers. The daily 
vexation of spirit endured as he saw the 
heartless treachery toward him had made 
him weary — oh, so weary ! — and he needed 
rest. Samuel sympathized with the young 
man, and said to him, ‘ Come with me 
and we will rest where your soul will be 
calmed and your youthful vigor will be 
regained.’ 

Ramah was a public place on the summit 
of the hill known as the ^ Watch-tower of 
Israel.’ On the same hill was the Mizpeh, 
where the gathering of the people had been 
previous to Saul’s day, when Samuel de- 
livered them from the Philistines. It was 
still Samuel’s home, where he administered 
arbitration to all who came to him. Here 
David could not find the rest he needed, 
for just below Ramah, in the midst of the 
plain, rose the hill of Gibeon, upon which 
the camp, the court, the city of Gibeah 
and his own home were situated ; and, since 
these would be continually in sight, his mind 
would be upon them, and his courageous spirit 
would prompt him to return to them when 


138 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


the day dawned. Samuel therefore said, 
‘ Come ; we will go to Naioth and rest there.’ 

‘‘Naioth was just below Ramah, within 
easy reach of the prophet’s home, and it was 
there the prophet spent the most of his 
time. Naioth was the school of the prophets, 
the place where they dwelt together and 
under the instruction of Samuel learned the 
mysteries of the Lord. They were fitted 
to be the spiritual teachers of Israel — not 
subordinate to king or priest, but an order 
by themselves, subject only to Samuel — and 
as they attended to their duties they won 
the reverence of the people. They were 
filled with the Spirit of the Lord. In many 
respects they were the proper companions 
for David. Man of war though he was, 
the natural tendency of his mind was 
toward the prophets’ ofi&ce. With them 
he sung praises, engaged in mystic cere- 
monies, received an unction from on high, 
and by his manner gave evidence of the 
powerful sway of the Spirit upon his soul. 
With them he was a welcome companion, 
for they perceived that he was indeed filled 
with the Spirit and in thorough harmony 


REFUGE WITH THE PROPHETS. 139 

with their souls. They dwelt in a cluster of 
small houses undefended by walls or weapons, 
relying solely upon the Lord for protection. 
In their company David cast off all worldly 
anxiety, engaged in their sacred devotions, 
prophesied with them, and had his soul fed 
and strengthened by this service of commu- 
nion with the most high God. 

This sweet fellowship continued until a 
spy — for there were such ever ready to 
serve the evil purposes of the king — went to 
Saul and told him that David, whom he was 
everywhere searching for, was near at hand, 
worshiping with the prophets at Naioth. 
The king was glad to hear this news, and 
hastened to send messengers to apprehend 
David and bring him down to Gibeah. 

‘‘The messengers hurried forward to do 
the king’s bidding ; they would go any- 
where, fearing not the face of man and 
passing no judgment upon the justice of the 
commands given them : it was their duty to 
obey. They came to the defenceless huts 
of the prophets, but were arrested by the 
singular spectacle which there appeared 
before them. They saw the aged prophet 


140 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Samuel with arms spread toward heaven, 
surrounded by David and the prophets, all 
of them watching his motions, obedient to 
his instructions, and, as he was, under the 
influence of the Spirit of the Lord, engaged 
in the peculiar exercise of their calling, the 
act of prophesying. They seemed to be 
carried in mind beyond the bounds of time 
and space. Their bodies were the vehicles 
of their emotions ; their eyes were liglit- 
ened with the blessedness of spiritual vision ; 
their voices, in harmony with angelic music, 
were in sweetest concord, and with energy 
of spirit they expressed the vision which 
enraptured them. 

‘‘As the king’s messengers beheld this 
scene they felt coming upon them a strange 
influence such as they had never before felt. 
It rendered them incapable of self-control; 
they could not be obedient even to their 
king, but were irresistibly drawn toward 
the circle of prophets. Their own spirit- 
ual powers were unfettered ; they saw things 
which belonged to the heavenlies, and, join- 
ing their voices with those of the prophets, 
they too prophesied. 


REFUGE WITH THE PROPHETS. 


141 


‘‘King Saul awaited the return of his 
messengers, his wrath keeping warm in spite 
of the delay, but they came not. Instead, 
one of his servants came to tell him that the 
messengers whom he trusted had forgotten 
their duty to him and had joined the proph- 
ets in their exercises. Saul immediately sent 
other messengers, more worthy than the first, 
but the same thing happened with them. 
He sent the third time — more trusty ones 
still — determined to accomplish his purpose, 
but they too were seized with the prophetic 
spirit and failed either to lay hold of David 
or to return. Thus it was clearly apparent 
that Naioth needed neither walls nor weap- 
ons for defence. 

“ But this strange resistance to his power, 
instead of subduing the king, added fuel to 
increase the flame of his wrath. Not for 
one moment did he soften toward David ; he 
seemed even to dare defy the power of the 
Lord guarding the persons of his prophets. 
He had learned that he could not trust mes- 
sengers ; now he would himself go and put 
an end to this matter, for perhaps all these 
messengers were in league with David and 


142 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


false to him, their king. If so, truly David 
was even now seizing the kingdom. 

‘‘Saul started upon his journey with in- 
creasing wrath. He came to Hamah, to the 
huge cistern by the threshing-floor of the 
town, and then asked, ‘ Where are Samuel and 
David ?’ Fierce was his aspect ; the people 
well knew what danger was in that glance. 
His question was curt ; he had only one ob- 
ject before him. As to the messengers, he 
would deal with them afterward. The lead- 
ers of the conspiracy he wanted. Samuel 
and David — where w^ere they? 

“ Many standing by the well would rath- 
er have suffered the most dreadful tortures 
than guide the fierce monarch so that he could 
wreak his vengeance on their beloved proph- 
et, but one there was ready to cringe and 
bow before him, cost what it might to others, 
who said, ‘ Behold, they be at Naioth in Ha- 
mah.’ Breathing out vengeance, Saul went 
thither. 

“Nearly forty years before, Saul had 
been anointed by Samuel, and afterward 
had met a company of prophets and was 
seized with their spirit and did prophesy; 


BEFUOE WITH THE PROPHETS. 143 


but then his heart was free from the burden 
of guilt and the spirit of jealousy which 
now rested on it. Then it seemed possible 
for him to have such thoughts in the ecsta- 
sy of his wonderful anointing, but now — 
Before he reached Naioth he saw what per- 
haps he did not expect to see, for there was 
no attempt at concealment, no hiding of 
those he sought, no apparent fear of his 
wrath : he saw Samuel, David, the prophets 
and the messengers all engaged in their pro- 
phetic devotions. In the midst of his wrath 
the vision before him seemed like a call 
from another world. The feelings which 
had been dormant for nearly forty years 
were aroused, and his wrath melted away 
beneath the coming glory of the Spirit of 
God upon his mind. Even when Naioth 
was still distant the transformation came, 
and Saul began to prophesy. 

‘‘Witness now the change in the king. 
As he first views the company of prophets 
he is clothed in his royal armor ; he has 
come out to destroy and kill. In his hand 
is his dreadful sword; upon his head, his 
brazen helmet ; over his shoulders and 


144 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


breast, the glittering suit of mail. Like an 
image of the god of war he stands over 
Naioth brandishing his sword and his 
countenance expressing the fury of his soul. 
But as the Spirit of the Lord falls upon him, 
the sword drops to the ground, and the king 
does not take it up again. He begins to utter 
prophetic ejaculations, and more and more 
his soul comes under the spell. He advances, 
increasing in ardor, until at length he comes 
to the host of prophets, while the people 
who had followed, seeing the strange sight, 
say one to another, ‘ Is Saul also among 
the prophets?’ Into the midst of them he 
walks. He loosens his armor and casts it 
from him; he is not now the man of war. 
He even casts aside his royal garments, and 
without any token of royalty or of soldiery 
stands before Samuel as do the prophets, 
subordinate, receptive, expressive. 

“ What a wonderful spectacle that was to 
the people who in their astonishment had 
followed Saul down from the gate of Bamah, 
as also to his armor-bearer, who gathered up 
the armor Saul had cast off! What a reve- 
lation, too, of the protection which the Lord 


REFUGE WITH THE PROPHETS. 145 


gave to his ministers while engaged in the 
work to which he had called them ! But 
the wonder grew as the hours passed by, for 
Saul not only prostrated himself before Sam- 
uel and lay there without his robes, but as 
the night approached he still continued in 
that attitude. The people drew back from 
the strange scene. Saul might awake in a 
frenzy and execute his wrath upon them for 
their daring curiosity. Only the armor-bear- 
er remained at a respectful distance, to be at 
hand and obedient to Saul’s slightest wish 
when he should arise. 

‘‘As the time passed the company of proph- 
ets gradually withdrew with Samuel and 
David. The stars came out and darkness 
spread over hill and vale ; silence swept over 
the scene, and still the king remained in his 
lowly attitude upon the ground. All night 
he lay there, and then as the day began to 
break he arose and looked about him. Who 
can tell what thoughts passed through his 
soul or how the elements of his nature were 
struggling for the mastery? Whatever it 
was, it brought forth no balm to his wounds, 
no satisfaction to his bruised heart. He re- 


10 


146 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


turned to his court as he had come, only 
now his anger was for the moment subdued. 
There was no reconciliation with Samuel, 
no renewal of friendship with David ; the old 
trouble still existed. Truly, the most favor- 
able opportunity for making peace with his 
foes had passed, and to the same extent 
would never return.’’ 


CHAPTER XII. 


DAVID AND JONATHAN. 

“ T^HILE Saul was in his prophetic trance 
» » David bade farewell to Samuel and the 
prophets and returned to Gibeah. He did 
not go to his own house, for it was closed 
and sealed, nor to the king’s palace, whither 
his wife had been taken, but to the home of 
Jonathan, who, as the heir to the throne, 
dwelt near the royal palace. 

“David did not now approach like a haugh- 
ty conqueror, for his soul was cast down with- 
in him. The bitterness of enmity was upon 
him, and he felt as ready to die as to live. 
When he found Jonathan, he said to him, 
‘ What have I done ? what is mine iniquity ? 
and what is my sin before thy father that he 
seeketh my life V 

“Jonathan at first did not realize the 
cause of the utter dejection of his covenant- 
friend ; he was not aware of the serious 

147 


148 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


troubles which had broken out during the 
last protracted spell of the king’s anger, and 
supposed that it was only a sudden outburst, 
as often in the past, to which David referred ; 
hence he answered, ‘ God forbid : thou shalt 
not die : behold my father doeth nothing 
either great or small, but that he discloseth 
it unto me : and why should my father hide 
this thing from me ? Is it not so V 

‘‘ Then David, with the most earnest adju- 
ration as to the truth of what he declared, 
said, ‘ Thy father knoweth well that I have 
found grace in thine eyes : and he saith. Let 
not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved : but 
truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liv- 
eth, there is but a step between me and death.’ 

Jonathan was greatly startled at hearing 
the account of Saul driving David from his 
home by sending murderers in the night-sea- 
son to put an end to his life ; to know that 
the blood-covenant into which David and 
himself had entered was not sufficient to save 
David from the wrath of the king, who 
hated every feature of it ; to know that he 
was not the trusted counselor in all things, 
but only in what it pleased the king to re- 


DAVID AND JONATHAN. 


149 


veal, and that henceforth he could not shield 
David by warnings of the threatened evils. 
All this, now breaking upon his comprehen- 
sion, for a moment prevented him from utter- 
ing a word. As he recovered from his aston- 
ishment tears began to flow from his eyes, 
and he looked David in the face and said, 
‘ Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even 
do it for thee.’ Though his father was in- 
deed seeking David’s death, Jonathan would 
not violate the covenant nor forsake his 
friend, and to prove his love and fidelity to 
the covenant he let David give him the serv- 
ice and he would faithfully perform it. 

‘‘ This was David’s plan ; two things com- 
ing together made it possible for the plan to 
work successfully. The first day of the new 
moon the king held his reception to the of- 
ficers of his army and the courtiers of his 
kingdom. On that day and the day follow- 
ing, Abner, the general of the army — who 
was also the king’s uncle — Jonathan, the 
king’s son and heir to the throne, and Da- 
vid, the son-in-law of the king and captain of 
the royal bodyguard, sat down at the king’s 
table in honor and in mutual good-will. 


150 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Once a year many of the families in Israel 
held their reunions, in which around the 
father’s table sat all the sons and daughters 
to partake of his bounty and receive his 
blessing. By the breaking up of the relig- 
ious service — the ark being taken from the 
tabernacle — and the many wars with the foes 
on every hand, the annual feasts of the assem- 
bled tribes, as commanded in the law, were 
neglected, but these family reunions pre- 
served the family relation, which was the 
basis of the tribal and of the national. 
Thus even in times of greatest peril the unity 
was not lost, but sustained until the Anoint- 
ed of the Lord would restore the customs of 
Moses. This new moon was the time for the 
reunion of Jesse’s family in Bethlehem, and 
Eliab, as the eldest born, had sent messen- 
gers to all the family commanding them to 
be present. Such a command gave David 
his opportunity to avoid meeting Saul with- 
out offering insult if Jonathan, as the son of 
the king, would grant him permission to 
obey the command of his brother. David 
therefore said, ‘ Behold, to-morrow is the new 
moon, and I should not fail to sit with the 


DAVID AND JONATHAN 


151 


king at meat : but let me go, that I may 
hide myself in the field unto the third day 
at even. If thy father miss me at all, then 
say, David earnestly asked leave of me that 
he might run to Bethlehem his city : for it 
is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 
If he say thus. It is well : thy servant shall 
have peace ; but if he be wroth, then know 
that evil is determined by him. Therefore 
deal kindly with thy servant ; for thou hast 
brought thy servant into a covenant of the 
Lord with thee: but if there be in me in- 
iquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldst 
thou bring me to thy father V How touch- 
ing was this appeal to the judgment of his 
friend ! David thus placing his life in the 
hands of Jonathan to do with it as to him 
should seem best. 

Jonathan would not for a moment cher- 
ish such a thought, and he answered, ‘Far 
be it from thee : for if I should at all know 
that evil were determined by my father to 
come upon thee, then would I not tell it 
thee r 

“David replied, ‘ Who shall tell me if 
perchance thy father answer thee roughly T 


152 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


‘‘After a moment’s reflection Jonathan 
said, ‘ Come and let us go out into the field.’ 

“ Out of the house, through the street of 
the town, through the gate where the king’s 
guards were stationed, past the people, who 
wondered if the anger of Saul were allayed, 
past the soldiers, who loved both David and 
Jonathan, the friends went down the side of 
the hill and into the plain below the city 
where the king’s husbandmen reaped the 
vast harvests which the rich soil so abundant- 
ly brought forth. Here, beneath the shade 
of the oaks, they were alone ; no man could 
approach them without being seen, and they 
could on the one side look up toward Hamah 
to see the king when he returned, and on 
the other toward the gate of Gibeah and see 
if searchers were sent in pursuit of them, 
and yet by the friendly branches of the oaks 
they were concealed from the view of those 
in the city or at the gate. It was necessary 
to have the utmost secresy, for Jonathan 
was about thoroughly to unburden his mind 
to David. 

“ How much Jonathan understood of the 
interview between Samuel and David and 


DAVID AND JONATHAN 


153 


of the anointing of David he does not now 
disclose, but he does disclose his thoughts 
of David’s future. He has no fears of 
David’s early death. All the treachery and 
all the wrath of the king will avail nothing 
against him, for the Lord is with him to 
give him success. He sees David taking 
the place which he himself had been educat- 
ed to expect ; he sees his father’s house and 
his own house rejected by the Ruler of 
nations, and David’s lifted up. He realizes 
that some day David will be king, and will 
have the power to kill or to keep alive, and 
he knows that it is the custom for the 
monarchs of a new family in ascending a 
throne to put to death all the family of the 
former king, and thus have no rivalry or 
divided sentiment in the kingdom. Yet, 
for all this, so excellent was Jonathan’s 
nature, so true his love, that when to all 
appearances the life of David was in his 
hand he would not touch that life — no, not 
even to secure his own way to the throne 
and the perpetuity of his family. With 
deepest solemnity he thus addressed David : 
‘The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; 


154 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


when I have sounded my father about this 
time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, 
if there be good toward David, shall I not 
then send unto thee, and disclose it unto 
thee? The Lord do so to Jonathan, and 
more also, should it please my father to do 
thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and 
send thee away, that thou mayest go in 
peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he 
hath been with my father. And thou shalt 
not only while yet I live show me the kind- 
ness of the Lord, that I die not; but also 
thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my 
house for ever : no, not when the Lord hath 
cut ofP the enemies of David every one 
from the face of the earth.’ 

David was moved by this appeal. He 
did not hesitate, but swore that he would 
fulfill all the articles of this covenant, say- 
ing, ‘And the Lord shall require it at the 
hand of all of David’s enemies.’ 

“ But so serious was this matter in Jona- 
than’s estimation that the oath given was 
not on the altar of greatest value, so that he 
caused David to swear again — not on the 
strength of his enemies, but by his own love 


DAVID AND JONATHAN. 


155 


toward him ; for David loved Jonathan as 
he loved his own soul, and this love was the 
most precious altar that could be the recip- 
ient of such an oath. So, under the oaks 
in the field below Gibeah, by his own heart’s 
love David swore the oath. 

“Then Jonathan said, ‘To-morrow is the 
new moon : and thou shalt be missed, be- 
cause thy seat will be empty. And when 
thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go 
down quickly, and come to the place where 
thou didst hide thyself when the business 
was in hand, and shalt remain by the mound 
Ezrel. And I will shoot three arrows on the 
side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. 
And, behold, I will send the lad, saying. Go, 
find the arrows. If I say unto the lad. Be- 
hold, the arrows are on this side of thee: 
take them, and come ; for there is peace to 
thee and no hurt, as the I^ord liveth. But 
if I say thus unto the boy. Behold, the ar- 
rows are beyond thee : go thy way ; for the 
Lord hath sent thee away. And as touching 
the matter which thou and I have spoken of, 
behold, the Lord is between thee and me for 
ever.’ 


156 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


‘‘ The friends parted. Jonathan returned 
to his home in Gibeah, and David sought 
refuge in the secret places of the field. 

“ The following day was the beginning of 
the new moon, and, according to custom, the 
king’s table was prepared for the usual re- 
ception. It was not a social meal — for no 
ladies were present — but a military feast, 
at which the invited officers, clothed in 
their most brightly-burnished armor, met 
and feasted. 

Saul occupied the high seat of honor, 
opposite the door, against the wall, having 
all his company before him. Jonathan en- 
tered, but awaited Abner, the general of the 
army. When he came, Jonathan seated him 
by the king’s side, and then took his own 
place. King Saul noticed the absence of 
David, but did not say anything ; he knew 
that David was very scrupulous about ceremo- 
nial purity, and thought he might have been 
defiled, and have conscientiously remained 
away from the feast in consequence. The 
second day — the day after the new moon — 
David’s place was again vacant, and Saul, 
noticing it, turned to Jonathan and asked. 


DAVID AND JONATHAN. 


157 


‘ Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to 
meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day V 

“ The critical moment had come, and the 
eyes of all were directed toward Jonathan to 
hear his reply. Looking the king in the eyes, 
Jonathan answered: ‘David earnestly asked 
leave of me to go to Bethlehem : and he 
said, Let me go, I pray thee : for onr family 
hath a sacrifice in the city ; and my brother, 
he hath commanded me to be there : and 
now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let 
me get away, I pray thee, and see my breth- 
ren. Therefore he is not come unto the 
king’s table.’ 

“ King Saul was not deceived by this re- 
l^Iy ; he understood how Jonathan was shield- 
ing his friend, and it aroused his anger. In 
fury, with the most cutting and insulting 
language possible for him to use to show his 
anger at Jonathan, he says to him, ‘Thou 
son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I 
know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse 
to thine own shame, and unto the shame of 
thy mother’s nakedness? For as long as 
the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, 
thou shalt not be established, nor thy king- 


158 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


dom. Wherefore now send and fetch him 
unto me, for he shall surely die/ 

‘‘Jonathan sought to allay the king’s 
wrath, as once before he had succeeded in 
doing, by arguing the question with him. 
He said, ‘ Wherefore should he be put to 
death? what hath he done?’ 

“ The king was in no mood for argument 
now ; his fierce anger was aroused, and as 
Jonathan spoke he grasped his spear, as if 
about to strike him down, as before he had 
sought to kill David. 

“ By this action Jonathan saw that there 
was no hope of reconciliation between David 
and the king. He was grieved at the perse- 
cution of David, he was ashamed of the 
unreasonable ferocity of his father, and he 
was thoroughly angry at the manner in 
which his intercession for David had been 
met. He was the king’s son, and the 
king had no right to treat him in such 
a manner; and when thus threatened, he 
arose from the table, and would eat no more 
that day because of his anger. 

“ In the morning Jonathan went out into 
the field with the lad, as he had appointed 


DAVID AND JONATHAN. 


159 


with David. ‘And he said unto his lad, 
Run, find the arrows which I shoot.’ And 
as the lad ran Jonathan shot an arrow, mak- 
ing it pass over him ; and when the lad was 
come to the place of the arrow which Jona- 
than had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, 
and said. Is not the arrow beyond thee?’ 
And he cried after the lad, ‘ Make speed, 
haste, stay not.’ Jonathan’s lad gathered up 
the arrows and came to his master, but the 
lad knew not anything of the significance of 
this action, and Jonathan gave his weap- 
ons to his lad, and said unto him, ‘ Go, car- 
ry them to the city. And as soon as the lad 
was gone David arose out of a place toward 
the south, and fell on his face to the ground, 
and bowed himself three times.’ Then they 
embraced each other, and both wept. It was 
not necessary to relate the particulars of the 
scene in the court; even Jonathan by his 
sign had expressed the hopelessness of rec- 
onciliation, and they must now part, but 
the grief of David exceeded that of Jona- 
than. Ah ! what a scene for angels to gaze 
upon ! — two strong men and mighty warriors 
so enraptured with love for each other that 


160 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


their separation causes them to weep showers 
of bitter tears. 

‘‘ At length Jonathan said to David, ‘ Go 
in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both 
of us in the name of the Lord, saying. The 
Lord shall be between me and thee, and 
between my seed and thy seed for ever.’ 

‘‘David released himself from the em- 
brace of Jonathan and departed, while Jona- 
than slowly returned up the hill and passed 
through the gate of the city to his own 
home.” 


CHAPTER XIII. 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 

AVID departed. He had come to King 
SauPs court to drive away the king’s 
madness by the pleasing melodies of min- 
strelsy; instead of accomplishing this, he 
had roused the king to a pitch of unpre- 
cedented madness. Now he departs, a ref- 
ugee in fear of his life, to wander he knew 
not where. He is not alone, however, for 
even in this dark hour there are some trusty 
followers who will survive or perish with the 
friend they love. He has already sought 
the assistance of his friends Samuel and 
Jonathan, but there is another to whom he 
will go; so he turns his face toward Nob, 
the city of the high priest. The high priest 
was his friend, as were all in the land who 
served the Lord. 

“ David was well known in Nob, and by 
the oracle of the Lord he had often been 


11 


161 


162 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


advised as to the course he should pursue, 
and now in his distress first of all he goes 
to consult the oracle and to obtain help from 
his friend ; for he does not yet realize that 
friendship for him incurs the most terrible 
hatred of the king. As he approaches Nob 
he sends aside the young men who have 
sworn to follow him, that they might not 
be known, and enters the city alone. 

‘‘Ahimelech, the high priest, is alarmed 
at seeing David thus come. The rage of 
the king against him was well known to the 
priest, and many prayers had been offered 
by Samuel and Ahimelech for the good of 
David as they talked with each other of the 
anger of the king toward the Lord^s anointed. 
Strange, mysterious misgivings now disturb 
the mind of the priest. What means this 
solitary coming? Has the wrath of the 
king broke forth upon the nation’s favorite ? 

‘‘ David is filled with fear and uncertainty ; 
he knows not whom to trust. His state is 
desperate, and in the confusion of his mind 
he resorts to a falsehood which in the end 
did not aid his cause, but the more speedily 
hastened the accomplishment of the ven- 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 163 

geance of the king. He said to Ahime- 
lech, ‘ The king hath commanded me a busi- 
ness, and hath said to me, Let no man know 
anything of the business whereabout I send 
thee, and what I have commanded thee.’ 
Thus by the profession of a secret mission 
he stops the priest from all questionings. 
As to the strange sight of a captain of the 
king’s bodyguard going about without armor, 
weapons or followers, he says, ‘I have ap- 
pointed my servants to such and such a 
place, and I have no weapons, for the king’s 
business requires such haste as not to allow 
me time to go to my house and prepare my- 
self for the journey.’ Then, seeing loaves 
of bread on the table, he asks the priest to 
give him the bread that is under his hand — 
that is, subject to his disposition. 

“ The priest informs David that the bread 
which he has there is not common : it is 
from the sanctuary, for that was the day for 
changing the bread on the Lord’s table, and 
the fresh loaves had just been placed in the 
sanctuary and this was the bread that had 
been removed, but, on account of the urgency 
of the case, if David and his followers were 


164 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


undefiled, if they were pure according to 
the law, he would give it to him ; to which 
David replied that for three days while with 
him the young men had been away from all 
opportunity of defilement, that the vessels 
ill which they carried their provisions were 
also free from defilement, and that the bread 
was no more holy now than were their 
vessels, especially when this day there is 
other sanctified bread placed in the vessel 
holding the bread in the tabernacle, and 
when this was removed it ceased to be sanc- 
tified. The priest, satisfied with this view 
of it, no longer objected, but gave David the 
bread. 

Having thus received food, David asks, 
‘And is there not here under thine hand 
spear or sword ? for I have neither brought 
my sword nor my weapons with me, because 
the king’s business required haste.’ 

“The obliging priest says, ‘The sword 
of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slow- 
est in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here 
wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod : if thou 
wilt take that, take it : for there is no other 
save that here.’ Thus we see that the priests, 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 165 

like the prophets, did not depend upon the 
weapons of war for protection ; they did not 
deal with battles, but with spiritual forces. 
Peace and sacrifice prevailed among them. 

“ Nothing could have pleased David more 
than this offer. Ah ! well did he know that 
mighty weapon, and hope flashed into his 
heart as he quickly answered, ‘There is 
none like that; give it me.’ Thus obtain- 
ing all he asked for, David fled with the 
fear of Saul suddenly again appearing before 
him. 

“ Why this sudden flight from the friendly 
priest and from the shelter of the sanctuary ? 
It was because David saw gleaming before 
him the dark, treacherous eyes of Doeg the 
Edomite, who was the chief herdsman of 
Saul’s cattle, of whom David said, ‘ Why 
boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty 
man? the goodness of God endureth con- 
tinually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs ; 
like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 
Thou lovest evil more than good ; and lying 
rather than to speak righteousness. Thou 
lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful 
tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee for 


166 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


ever; he shall take thee away, and pluck 
thee out of thy dwelling-place, and root 
thee out of the land of the living. The 
righteous also shall see and fear, and shall 
laugh at him. Lo, this is the man that 
made not God his strength ; but trusted in 
the abundance of his riches, and strengthened 
himself in his wickedness.’ With such an 
opinion of the man, David believed that 
Saul would at once be informed of his 
presence there, and if he remained the king’s 
wrath would also fall upon the priests and 
the holy place. As Doeg was detained only 
during some sacrificial observance, and would 
soon be free to return to the king, David at 
once fled. 

‘‘ Many days passed, and David’s hiding- 
place was still kept secret from the king ; 
but at length the king’s spies enabled him 
to track David’s course to his resort, and 
also the names of the men who were with 
him. 

“The days grew darker for the king, 
who now began to see that by his cruel 
course toward David he was offending the 
entire nation, and, as he could not tell what 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 167 

persons nor how many were being alienat- 
ed from his service, he began to suspect all. 
He had established his camp upon the lofty 
watch-tower, under a grove overlooking the 
hill of Gibeon. He at all times carried his 
spear in his hand and had his bodyguard 
continually about him. He took every pre- 
caution lest some enemy might secretly 
assail him, but most of all he feared David. 
He knew that he had given him great prov- 
ocation ; and if David had been possessed 
with his spirit, no doubt but that he would 
speedily have obtained vengeance. Saul’s 
fear of David was utterly without cause, for 
David would not raise his hand against the 
Lord’s anointed. 

As Saul was surrounded by his body- 
guard in his lofty camp, from which they 
could see over a vast extent of country, he 
said to his servants, ‘ Hear now, ye Benja- 
mites ; will the son of J esse give every one 
of you fields and vineyards, and make you 
all captains of thousands, and captains of 
hundreds; that all of you have conspired 
against me, and there is none that showeth 
me that my son hath made a league with tlie 


168 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


son of Jesse, and there is none of you that 
is sorry for me, or showeth unto me that my 
son hath stirred up my servant against me, 
to lie in wait, as at this day T Thus Saul 
reminds them how he has richly rewarded 
them in the days of the past. He gave 
them fields and vineyards and promoted 
them to honor ; this David could not do for 
them. Were they ready to give up their 
prosperity to serve a portionless refugee? 
Jonathan could not have been present, but 
the king reveals his knowledge of the course 
his son has pursued. Dark indeed were the 
days when the king thought his own son 
and heir to the throne was in league against 
him with a rebel. 

‘‘ Instead of answering this appeal, the 
ofiicers remained silent before the king. 
Then Doeg the Edomite, the chief of the 
herdsmen, who was standing near, said, as 
he came forward and bowed low before Saul, 
‘I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to 
Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he 
inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him 
victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath 
the Philistine.’ Then, with another bow 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 169 

and a leer of triumph toward the officers, 
Doeg drew back from before them. 

“ It was but a short distance to the priests’ 
city, and such was the fury of the king that 
he sent messengers commanding the high 
priest and the subordinate priests immedi- 
ately to appear before him. In response 
to this summons they came and presented 
themselves, obedient to his command. The 
king, seeing them, is scarcely able to restrain 
his wrath while speaking. He says to the 
high priest, ‘ Hear now, thou son of Ahi- 
tub.’ 

“ In calm, gentle tones the priest replied, 
‘Here I am, my lord,’ and bowed respect- 
fully before him. 

“ Saul then said, ‘ Why have ye conspired 
against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in 
that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, 
and hast inquired of God for him, that he 
should rise against me to lie in wait as at 
this day ?’ 

“ In strong contrast with the anger of the 
king was the calmness of the high priest, 
who said, ‘ And who is so faithful among all 
thy servants as David, who is the king’s 


170 FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 

son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is 
honorable in thy house? Did I then begin 
to inquire of God for him ? be it far from 
me : let not the king impute anything unto 
his servant, nor to all the house of my 
father : for thy servant knew nothing of all 
this, less or more.’ 

What a noble rejoinder was this ! how 
plainly it showed the entire innocence of in- 
tention to do evil by the priest ! It should at 
once have disarmed the king of his suspi- 
cions, but no ; it only increased his fury. 
Fiercely gazing upon the priest, he said, 
‘ Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, 
and all thy father’s house.’ Oh how terrible 
wrath becomes when controlling the soul 
of a despot! Before the high priest could 
plead for his life the king said to his guards, 
‘ Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord ; be- 
cause their hand is also with David, and be- 
cause they knew when he fled, and did not 
show it to me.’ 

“But this was asking too much. The 
guards had been trained to honor the serv- 
ants of the Lord ; if the king forgot his re- 
ligious obligations, they could not forget 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 171 

theirs. No; sooner would they incur the 
monarch’s wrath than lift their hands against 
the Lord’s priests. 

“ But what the soldiers would not do the 
cruel Doeg was ready to do. He looked so 
eager that the king, seeing him, said, ‘ Turn 
thou and fall upon the priests.’ 

What a sight there was that day upon 
the mountain-top, within sight of Israel’s 
fair fields, near the very place where the 
Lord had specially blessed his people in 
days gone by ! In the presence of the roy- 
al guards of the king of Israel, by command 
of that king, a foreigner, an Edomite, a mere 
herdsman, with his obsequious followers fell 
upon the noble high priest and the priests 
of Israel and cruelly slaughtered them. 
Eighty- five persons that wore the linen 
ephod, comprising the family of the greatest 
dignity in the land, were thus slaughtered at 
a moment’s notice. 

“ Awful, cruel and fierce as this was, it 
did not satisfy the king, who now sent his 
minions down to the city of Nob, the city 
of the priests, to smite with the edge of the 
sword men and women, children and babes 


172 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


at their mothers’ breasts, oxen, asses and 
sheep, devouring everything that had life, 
only one person — Abiathar, the son of the 
high priest — escaping the massacre. Thus 
was the word of the prophet to Eli fulfilled : 
‘ All the increase of thine house shall die in 
the flower of their age.’ 

“ From this time Nob ceased to be known 
as a city in Israel. The tabernacle was 
taken to Gibeah, so that the court of the 
king and the house of the Lord should 
be together. But what a mockery the 
worship became when, the ark having been 
taken from it, the priests wearing the ephod 
were removed and only the curtains of the 
tent remained ! Thus empty and desolate 
was the heart of the king. 

This act showed Israel the desperate 
character of the king whom they had cho- 
sen to reign over them. It alienated from 
him the hearts of the people, for how could 
they revere the one who had slain those who 
stood between them and God ? To Doeg the 
Edomite, the heartless, covetous foreigner, 
the flowing blood of the flower of Israel was 
a beautiful sight, and he continued to shed 


VENGEANCE DEALT TO THE PRIESTS. 173 

it until there was not a victim left in his 
hand.’’ 

As Barachel thus described this dreadful 
scene the young men arose to their feet and 
gazed upon him with astonishment. They 
were not used to seeing the shedding of hu- 
man blood. From their earliest years they 
had been taught to reverence the priests of 
the Lord, and to hear of such cruelty admin- 
istered to the men of God aroused the great- 
est indignation of their hearts. They were 
the more moved because as Barachel related 
the account he grew pale with suppressed 
emotion and seemed to be beholding the scene 
as if it were now being enacted before him. 
The hearts of all were deeply stirred, and 
they concluded that they would defer the 
narrative until the next day, when they 
would be in calmer mood, and be the better 
able to enter into sympathy with the noble 
refugee whose course they were now eager 
to follow. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


THE MADNESS OF DA VID. 

B efore seeking the lofty hilltop where, 
free from interruption, the young men 
could learn the story of David on the day 
following the narration of the destruction 
of the priests, they all went to the temple 
to offer an extra sacrifice of thanksgiving 
because the Lord in his mercy had not al- 
lowed all the priests to be cut off or the 
worship of his people to cease. 

Truly, God maketh even the wrath of man 
to praise him, and out of these terrible afflic- 
tions had brought forth the more abundant 
cause for thanksgiving and praise. While 
David appeared to be the cause of the de- 
struction of priestly worship, he in the days 
of his prosperity was the restorer of that 
worship upon a scale of such grandeur as 
almost to constitute him the founder of it. 
As they gazed at the priests in their service 

174 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


175 


and at the people crowding to the temple to 
offer their gifts, the young men joined in 
chanting a psalm of praise expressing their 
confidence and delight in the I^ord, after 
which they once more climbed the hill 
upon which they had spent the previous 
day, and Barachel continued : 

The sight of Doeg at the tabernacle re- 
minded David of the power the king of Is- 
rael possessed through his spies and his of- 
fers of reward to apprehend a fugitive any- 
where within the kingdom. 

‘‘ Affairs seemed desperate to the pursued 
soldier. To rebel against his king was not 
his desire ; to violate his allegiance was con- 
trary to his sense of right. To be true to 
his sense of right, and yet to save his life, 
the only course seemed to be to cast himself 
upon the mercy of the enemies of Israel and 
with them await the unfolding of divine 
providence. He was compelled against his 
own choice to take this course by the enmi- 
ty of the king. After leaving tlie tabernacle 
he was soon hidden in the ravines of Judah. 
Fortunately, he knew all the mountain-paths, 
the vineyards where grapes grew in abun- 


176 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


(lance, the clefts in the rocks in which honey 
abounded, and the location of the olive trees 
rich with their wholesome fruit. 

“After walking many miles David ap- 
proached the mountain- wall overlooking the 
great plain dotted here and there with the 
cities of the Philistines. As from the dis- 
tance he gazed upon them, all seemed so 
quiet on the plains and around the cities 
that the certainty of finding refuge there 
from his pursuers filled his soul with hope. 
Just before him, on its lofty hill — in locat- 
ing their cities the ancients selected the cone- 
shaped hills surrounded by extensive plains 
— was the city of Gath, the residence of the 
giant whom David had slain. Near Gath, in 
the smaller hills, were a number of excava- 
tions of great extent and capable of affording 
him a retreat if he should need them. Sure- 
ly the people of Gath would not know him. 
Intense suffering had severely affected his 
appearance, and, besides, he was without 
power, without weapons and clothed in soiled 
raiment. In the streets of Gath hundreds 
of people were moving about, attending to 
their business, and David thought he surely 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


177 


would not be noticed in such a mixed crowd. 
He determined to enter the city and find rest 
and a temporary shelter there until King 
SauFs anger would have spent itself and he 
would cease his relentless persecutions. 

‘‘ Down into the valley below the hills of 
Judah the disheartened soldier slowly trod 
his way. Up the hill to Gath and through 
the gate with the crowd of toilers he passed, 
and he was within the city of his greatest 
foes — not as a conqueror, but as a refugee. 
But alas for his hopes ! With all his misfor- 
tunes he was David still, and those Philistine 
soldiers who had beheld the contest between 
Goliath and David could never forget the 
form and the features of that brave and bril- 
liant conqueror. A change of dress, the las- 
situde of temporary trouble, the unexpected 
appearance, were not enough to complete the 
disguise, and while David was walking about 
amongst them they were expressing to one 
another their doubts and their questions as 
to his identity. With every sense alert. 
David heard their whisperings. He was 
not ignorant of their language; he knew 
every word which they spoke, and this was 
12 


178 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


what he heard : ‘ Is not this David the king 
of the land? did they not sing one to an- 
other of him in dances, saying, Saul hath 
slain his thousands, and David his ten thou- 
sands ?’ 

“ Now David’s dangerous position plainly 
appeared to him. Ah ! the Philistines had 
that account of ten thousand slain to settle with 
him. The widows and the fatherless in Gath 
were crying aloud for his blood ; the glory 
of the city was calling for vengeance. The 
blood of Goliath was not expiated, and no 
claim of hospitality would save one so terri- 
bly hated as he who for his wedding-dowry 
had massacred hundreds of Philistines and 
had laid the tokens of their death at the 
feet of Israel’s king. 

David’s natural desire for life now made 
him wary ; hunted and in great straits, he 
would not willingly die. He saw the gather- 
ing of the people, the fierce flashing of their 
eyes, their earnest gestures as now and then 
an arm was stretched toward him. When 
he heard the muttered oaths and the calls 
for vengeance, he suddenly rushed toward a 
group of the people and with a peal of wild, 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


179 


unearthly laughter, which by its strange- 
ness and thrilling shrillness startled all, threw 
himself on the ground and wallowed in the 
dust. 

“ In the mean time, word had been carried 
to the king of Gath that David, their great- 
est foe, unarmed and disguised, was in their 
city, and King Achish, ordering his arrest, 
gathered his courtiers about liim and awaited 
the coming of his guards with the prisoner. 

‘‘As the king’s guards came to David and 
laid hold of him they met with no resistance, 
and they took him before their king. For 
a moment, as he stood there, he did indeed 
seem to be David, but the next moment, 
with a shriek of agony, his countenance 
strangely altered, and he fell on the floor. 
Out of his mouth froth poured and gathered 
on his beard ; he clutched at the gates, made 
marks on the doors, laughed and shouted 
words of song, all the time not taking the 
least notice of the king, then fell in fits and 
suddenly leaped up, only to fall again. For 
a while the king watched him, then said to 
his servants, ‘ Lo, ye see the man is mad : 
wherefore then have ye brought him to me ? 


180 FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 

Have I need of mad men, that ye have 
brought this fellow to play the mad man in 
my presence? shall this fellow come into 
my house?’ 

“ Ah ! whether it were David or not, his 
madness was his protection : neither king 
nor subject would do harm to a man bereft 
of his reason, thus already smitten by the 
gods. They led him away from the king. 
If it were indeed David, one so strong, so 
skillful, might in his madness be able to do 
them much harm, and the king was not 
willing to risk his safety in his presence. 
Forth they went, a strange, excited, wonder- 
ing crowd. As they passed along the peo- 
ple came out from their houses ; they 
crowded the streets, for who in Gath did not 
wish to see the warrior who had slain their 
mighty giant ? Their curses were withheld, 
for already the gods had cursed him ; they 
would not put him to death, for already his 
glory was at an end : the vengeance of the 
gods had come upon him, and he was mad. 

How plain it was ! Why, all sense of 
cleanliness had gone. Would any man in 
his senses allow himself to be defiled by his 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


181 


spittle hanging upon his beard ? And those 
shrieks and moans, the wild glaring of the 
eyes, the meaningless clutching of the 
hands, the barking like a dog, the cawing 
like the crow, the hissing like the serpent, 
— were not all these a proof of the intense 
madness of the man ? In awe the crowd 
parted. They watched him go out of the gate 
of their city ; a body of them followed him 
down into the valley. They turned his 
steps toward the hills of Judah. As he 
went onward they watched him, until, pass- 
ing the vale in which he had defeated their 
champion, they saw him disappear from 
view ; then they returned to their city to 
talk about the judgment of the gods upon 
the foe. 

“ David walked on, choosing the more 
secluded paths that he might not be seen 
of men, but his form was more erect, his 
motion was quicker. He came to a spring 
of water among the rocks and carefully 
washed the spittle from his beard. Oh how 
he despised such uncleanness ! He disrobed 
himself and thoroughly bathed his body in 
the cooling water, then on the green sward 


182 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


prostrated himself on his face before God to 
praise and give thanks to him for this great 
deliverance. His heart became more cheer- 
ful, and aloud he uttered his thoughts : ‘ The 
righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and 
delivereth them out of all their troubles. 
The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a 
broken heart; and saveth such as be of a 
contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of 
the righteous : but the Lord delivereth him 
out of them all. He keepeth all his bones : 
not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay 
the wicked : and they that hate the righteous 
shall be desolate. The Lord redeemeth the 
soul of his servants : and none of them 
that trust in him shall be desolate.’ But 
now whither should he flee? Death seemed 
to stare him in the face with friend and with 
foe. Yet he would put his trust in God ; he 
cried, ‘ Be merciful unto me, O God, be 
merciful unto me : for my soul trusteth in 
thee : yea, in the shadow of thy wings will 
I make my refuge, until these calamities be 
overpast.’ 

‘‘Wearied with the excitement and the 
toil of the trials through which he had 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


183 


passed, David fell asleep. How long he 
slept he knew not, but the day had yielded 
to the night, and the night was yielding 
again to the day, when with refreshed body 
and calmed mind he awoke, to begin again 
his course with supplications and thanks- 
givings. He said, ‘ I will cry unto God 
most high ; unto God that performeth all 
things for me. He shall send from heaven, 
and save me from the reproach of him that 
would swallow me up. God shall send forth 
his mercy and his truth.’ As he thought 
of his troubles he said, ‘ My soul is among 
lions : and I lie even among them that are 
set on fire, even the sons of men, whose 
teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue 
a sharp sword. They have prepared a net 
for my steps ; my soul is bowed down : they 
have digged a pit before me into which they 
have fallen themselves.’ 

“ These meditations strengthened the heart 
of David. Gathering some grapes, he ate 
them, and, finding some honey, he refreshed 
himself with it and proceeded on his journey. 
He found the place where he had hidden the 
sword of Goliath, and, armed with this, 


184 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


passed along hill and dale until he beheld be- 
fore him the white walls of his own beloved 
home, Bethlehem. He did not go there — the 
king’s watchmen might be lurking before the 
gate — but he knew every foot of the neigh- 
boring country, and it would be easy for 
him to communicate with his people when 
he desired if he remained hidden in the 
neighborhood. 

‘Hn the terrible ravine-cleft desert above 
the Sea of Salt, in a gorge of steep and 
huge cliffs, was a cave well known to the 
refugee soldier ; for when he tended his 
father’s sheep he had learned every step of 
these rocky glens and mysterious caves, the 
homes of foxes and of wild beasts. This 
particular cave was only two hours’ journey 
toward the south-east from Bethlehem ; the 
path to it was downward all the way from 
the town. Here David could hide, and the 
forces of Saul could not assail him. 

. ‘‘ The approach to the cave of Adullam 
was well guarded by nature. The path 
wound along a narrow shelf of rock, above 
which towered gigantic cliffs, below which 
yawned fearful gorges. As David walked 


THE MADNESS OF DAVID. 


185 


along this path, when about halfway down, 
he turned off along a ledge of rock about 
eight feet wide which led to the cave. Right 
in the way, obstructing the path, was a huge 
block of stone about seven feet high ; over 
this he had to climb. Between it and the 
upper overhanging rock was a space of only 
about two and a half feet ; passing through 
this, he proceeded along the path. Another 
block of stone was in the way, but, climbing 
over this, he was at the mouth of the cavern, 
which was like a low window in the perpen- 
dicular face of the cliff. With one bound, 
however, he leaped into it, and for the pres- 
ent was secure. 

‘‘The cave was formed by the action of 
water. Its sides and roof were smooth, with 
here and there rounded hollows, and in more 
than one place passages ran side by side with 
merely a thin stratum of rock separating them. 
The rock itself was hard and in color very 
white. The air of the cave was dry and 
pure. 

“ A few feet from the entrance David came 
into a large chamber about sixty feet long 
and about thirty or forty feet high. From 


186 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


this, on his hands and knees, he passed 
through a low burrow to another chamber. 
Mounting a few feet, a narrow cleft led to 
another large chamber, in which he had to 
descend a steep slide about fourteen feet to 
proceed farther. From this last chamber a 
main passage with intricate ramifications led 
to the last chamber of all, and about five 
hundred and fifty feet from the mouth of the 
cave the cavern became merely a crack in 
the rock- wall. 

In the rocks near the cave was a spring 
of water which even in the dry season did 
not fail ; from the cave were two small open- 
ings, besides the mouth, by which this spring 
could be reached, and the overhanging rocks 
so protected it that besiegers could not attack 
those who went to it from the cave. 

‘‘This was the retreat into which David 
now went, and it became to him home, rest 
and security, and that, too, with his beloved 
Bethlehem not far away and his father’s 
flocks with their shepherds close at hand. 

“While David was thus in flight the 
hearts of his kindred were in anguish over 
the uncertainty as to what had befallen him. 


THE MADNESS OF DA VID. 


187 


The tribal feeling, too, was strong, and men 
all over Judah, and Israel as well, began to 
wonder what had become of their champion. 
When, therefore, the house of Jesse heard 
from the shepherds that they had seen David 
and that he was safe in the great cave, they 
went down to the cave and comforted him 
with their promises of support and follow- 
ing. 

Now came the wise forethought of stor- 
ing quantities of provisions in the cave, for 
who could tell what God had in prospect? 
To escape the rage of Saul, Jesse, his wife, 
his sons and their families came down from 
Bethlehem and dwelt with David in the 
cave, waiting and praying for the manifes- 
tation of the hand of the Lord to deliver 
them out of all their troubles.'' 


CHAPTER XV. 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 

‘‘ Tj^ROM the day David entered the cave 
-L prosperity beamed upon him, although 
the most powerful influences seemed to be 
against him. It was indeed a desperate 
venture for a man with a tender conscience 
and with respect for the Lord’s anointed to 
undertake — particularly with so limited re- 
sources and with inability to reward his 
followers — to become the leader of a party 
in opposition to the reigning monarch. By 
robbing, murdering and deluging the coun- 
try with distress a bad man might prevail, 
but David respected the rights of others, 
loved the Lord and prayed to him, and 
sought no man’s property without render- 
ing an equivalent, and the only ones he felt 
free to attack and to destroy were the ene- 
mies of his Lord and of his land. His 
coming to the cave united in his cause his 
188 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 189 

fatlier^s household, for they could not but 
resent the cruel and unjust treatment of 
their kinsman, and, liable to suffer death 
from the monarch because of the offence of 
one member, leave their home in Bethlehem 
and dwell with him in the spacious and 
well-guarded cave — the aged Jesse to coun- 
sel them, their wives, little ones and aged 
mother to incite them to earnest efforts and 
brave deeds. 

‘‘ The Saul-like-appearing Eliab — every 
inch a king in his soldierly appearance and 
discipline — the troop of brave, bold brothers 
and the vigorous nephews constituted a host 
in themselves. Asahel, who was as fleet of 
foot as the gazelle upon the mountains, was 
only a boy, but with a man’s endurance and 
courage ; from the distant watch-tower his 
eyes could discern the approach of the 
enemy, and his fleet steps would enable him 
to give warning before any foe could inter- 
fere. Abishai and Joab — both mighty men 
of valor, impulsive and ready to avenge 
insults — were now moved by the most deadly 
hatred against the foe of their house. 

“These men of brave deeds, who were 


190 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


fearless before the hosts of the enemy, had 
no sooner come to David than the whole 
country was stirred by the story — ^secretly 
told — of the place of his refuge ; and out of 
every part of the country men in sympathy 
with him or outlawed by the exactions of the 
officers of the king came to him to support 
his cause. The people were feeling, as the 
prophet had predicted they would, the bur- 
den of a king who took from them their 
lands, their flocks, their sons for the army 
and their daughters for the court. From 
one end of the land to the other a suppressed 
wail of discontent affected them ; and when 
the servants of the king turned their backs, 
the bitter curses of the people followed them. 

‘‘ David now became the hope of all such 
persons, and all those free-spoken. God- 
fearing patriots who, unable to disguise their 
feelings under the oppression or the cruel 
constraint of the king, fled to him. With 
them came those who had been robbed of 
their patrimony because unable to pay the 
taxes caused by the devastations of war; 
those who were in debt, had nothing to pay 
with, and were bound down without hope of 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 


191 


release by their obligations ; those who were 
bitter in soul because of the way the country 
was being ruined, who saw the perversity 
of the king increasing from day to day, 
although the power of the Philistines was 
stretching nearer and nearer to the hills and 
the demoralization of the people was becom- 
ing the more apparent. To them the history 
of the deeds of the Judges was not a sealed 
book. Many of them remembered the 
stories told at their firesides by their aged 
fathers — stories explaining why the distresses 
of the past came upon God’s people — and 
they saw the country drifting into the same 
sad state of irreligion and disobedience ; hence 
they became discontented and longed for a 
change. With all these the name of David 
aroused the most glowing anticipations, and, 
though David could not now reward them, 
they trusted that the day would come in 
which he could give them honors and riches 
in abundance. Eluding the vigilance of the 
officers of the king, they pressed onward ; 
they sought the hills of the desert, and by 
the trusty watchers stationed in the ravines 
and on the hills about the cave were led 


192 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


into the presence of David, whom they 
astonished by laying their lives at his feet. 

“ The recruits continued to come until the 
little band numbered four hundred brave 
and determined men — men who were brand- 
ed as outlaws, but bound together by mutual 
ties of suffering from the king’s tyranny 
and hope for the incoming of a more glori- 
ous day for their land. They were not the 
dissipated, the lazy and the cowardly : these 
would not have had the courage to face the 
dangers of such a life ; these were the heroic 
souls filled with a thirst for glory, and they 
rejoiced to be under a captain whose name 
had made the Philistines tremble and had 
led the women of Israel to sing, ‘And David 
hath slain his ten thousands.’ Among those 
who came were eleven of the sons of Gad, 
every one worthy of having his name record- 
ed because of his brave spirit and his mighty 
deeds. 

“ When the snows from the mountains in 
the north melt and swell the streams, the Jor- 
dan River becomes a raging torrent. It rises 
above its lower banks and foams along with 
such swiftness that if a man should attempt 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 


193 


to swim across it he would be carried by the 
current toward the sea and be drowned in 
the awful rush of the waters. 

When these Gadites came to David, no 
enemy was able to withstand them. They 
put all their foes to flight on the east and on 
the west; they were as an invincible phalanx, 
shouting victory in every conflict. They 
came to the Jordan in the time of its flood ; 
they gazed upon the mighty rushing stream : 
they strapped their weapons to their backs 
and fearlessly plunged into the torrent. 
Rapid was the rush of the waters, sullen 
was the roar of the mighty stream, resistless 
it seemed to be. From the north the waters 
came the faster, in the south was the awful 
bosom of the salt sea, and breasting the tor- 
rent were these brave, strong men. Power- 
ful was their stroke as with heads above the 
waves, with every muscle in control, with 
lungs expanded, strong and full of good 
air, without weariness or fear, they clove the 
stream and arrived safe on the western shore. 
The least of these men was equal to a hun- 
dred ordinary men, and the greatest of them 
was equal to a thousand. They were not 

13 


194 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


only excellent swimmers, but were also mighty 
men in war. They could handle with equal 
dexterity shield and buckler, and their faces 
were like the faces of lions, fearless, fierce 
and with an anxious desire to meet the foe. 
Upon the mountains they were as swift as 
were the roes, and they leaped from rock 
to rock with the greatest facility. 

‘‘ Such were the men who came to David, 
but it was when the people of his own tribe 
came that he was the most touched in spirit ; 
and when with them he saw even those from 
SauFs tribe — the tribe of Benjamin — he 
could not forbear going forth to meet them 
and to welcome them. As they approached 
him, while out on the hillside before the path 
that led to the stronghold he awaited them, 
he said to them, ‘ If ye be come peaceable 
unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit 
unto you : but if ye be come to betray me to 
mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my 
hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, 
and rebuke it.’ 

‘‘Among the new-comers was the noble 
Amasai, David’s own nephew, who was a 
leader amongst them, and who, touched by 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTATN. 


195 


this appeal of David, was moved by the 
Spirit to reply, ‘ Thine we are, David, and on 
thy side, thou son of Jesse : peace, peace be 
unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers ; for 
thy God helpeth thee.’ 

‘‘ Thus the band grew. Among those who 
had come to David were so many men with 
positive religious convictions, moved by the 
Spirit and representing the pure faith of the 
Lord, that they seemed to be a body joined 
together more for sustaining the religion of 
their fathers and of the prophets than for 
any merely political purpose. 

. “ Secure as was their retreat as a refuge, it 
did not suit such men for a dwelling-place. 
They could not endure the restraint; they 
thirsted for a more active sphere in which 
they could display their heroism. To hunt 
the wild goats on the lofty cliffs was indeed 
a pleasure ; to climb up the almost perpen- 
dicular faces of immense crags was their 
delight ; to practice at slinging stones across 
the yawning ravines was their play ; but life 
to them was more than this: they were as 
hungry lions thirsting for action. David, 
however, had no desire for action when it 


196 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


threatened to spill the blood of his fellow- 
Israelites. 

“ On the eastern side of the salt sea rose 
the lofty, precipitous cliffs of Moab, with their 
purple hues so strongly in contrast with the 
green hills of Benjamin or the bare deserts 
of rock in the ravines of Judah. The home 
of the Moabites was peculiarly fortified by 
nature, although they were a pastoral people. 
On the north was the tremendous chasm of the 
Arnon ; on the west their land was limited by 
the precipices — or, more accurately, the cliffs 
— which descend almost perpendicularly to 
the shore of the lake and are intersected only 
by one or two steep and narrow passes ; last- 
ly, on the south and east it was protected by 
a half circle of hills which open only to al- 
low the passage of a branch of the Arnon 
and another of the torrents which descend 
to the Dead Sea. 

‘‘ This was the home of David’s ancestress, 
Ruth, and, as the Moabites were thus allied 
to his own family, this knowledge led him to 
expect that these ties of blood might secure 
for him a friendly reception now in his time 
of need, but still another reason was that for a 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 


197 


long period there had existed a feud between 
Moab and the tribe of Benjamin. In the 
days of the past, when Moab stretched be- 
yond the bounds she now occupied, only the 
fords of the Jordan separated her possessions 
from those of Benjamin, and bitter strife 
between Moab and Benjamin was the conse- 
quence. At one time the king of Moab con- 
quered a part of the territory of Benjamin and 
for eighteen years held his court in Jericho, 
until by the dagger of an assassin he lost his 
life, and in the battle that succeeded his fol- 
lowers on the west side of the Jordan were 
nearly all slaughtered. This blood-feud con- 
tinued till the days of Saul, and one of his acts 
after becoming king was to wreak vengeance 
on Moab. David, persecuted by Saul, could 
thus reasonably look for the protection of 
Moab — not for himself, for the time had 
come in which he was to move forward 
toward the accomplishment of his destiny, 
but for his aged parents and for the weak ones 
depending upon him. David therefore mar- 
shals his men in line, and, proceeding down 
the ravines to the salt sea, passes along its 
barren shores, until, coming to the Jordan — 


198 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


now at low water — they pass over the ford, 
and, going to the south, enter the lands of 
the king of Moab. 

‘‘Upon the Mizpah of Moab — its lofty 
mountain-height, its watch-tower — the king 
of Moab meets David ; to him David says, 

‘ Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, 
come forth, and be with you, till I know 
what God will do for me and then, receiv- 
ing the favorable answer of the king, he 
bi’ings forth his father and mother and ten- 
derly confides them to the king. 

“ David was now once more beyond the 
jurisdiction of Saul with a body of brave 
men subject to his control. What to do 
with them and with himself was a grave 
question, and all he could do as a serious- 
minded chieftain was to await the turn of 
the wheel of fortune that would show him 
the way. Nowhere could he find a better 
place in which to await the course of events 
than where he now was — on the watch- 
tower of Moab. It was from this place that 
in his distress Balak the king prayed Balaam 
to curse the children of Israel ; it was from 
this height that Balaam, viewing the Israel- 


THE OUTLAW CHIEFTAIN. 


199 


ites in the plain below, could utter only 
blessings upon them and prophesy of their 
future glory ; it was on this mountain that 
Moses went up, and, gazing over the Promised 
Land, saw the country God had prepared for 
his people, and then, dying, was here buried 
in one of its deep valleys where the eye of 
man would never behold his body nor mark 
his tomb ; upon this same lofty mountain 
David with his keen-eyed watchmen could 
now rest and see the movement of life over 
in the country of King Saul, and here, too, 
in safety and in freedom prepare for the 
mission before him. 

‘‘ David was not left to his own judgment. 
To him had come a prophet of the Lord 
through whom the will of the Lord was 
made known, who now appeared before 
him and said to him, ‘Abide not in the 
hold ; depart, and get thee into the land of 
Judah.’ This met a hearty response from 
both David and his men ; they were thirsting 
for more action, and the manner in which 
this command was given led them to look 
for a great purpose beneath it. 

“ The Philistines were harassing the land 


200 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


of Judah. David’s own tribe was suffering 
from their attacks, and Saul was not defend- 
ing them, David’s men eagerly snuff the 
battle from afar, and as he commands them 
to prepare for crossing the Jordan to go into 
the forests of Judah and battle with the 
Philistines a shout of triumph, of defiance 
to the foe and of welcome to the command 
pours forth from every throat, and as they 
enter the land of their fathers the news goes 
out into every household that David, the 
scourge of the Philistines, has come to the 
defence of his people.” 


CHAPTEE XVI. 

GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 

‘‘ TN the forests of Hareth the sturdy 
J- oak-thickets furnished shelter and refuge 
to the brave men accompanying David and 
gave them opportunity to exercise themselves 
in the chase of the wild goats on the neigh- 
boring cliffs, at the same time affording them 
a near outlook upon the surrounding country 
through which an enemy must approach to 
find them. They were here by direction of 
the prophet who in the name of the Lord 
had commanded them. 

“The prophetic function was of recent 
establishment, and Samuel was the leader of 
the school. The prophets had been trained 
under his supervision ; they had imbibed his 
spirit and were moved in the same manner 
as he was moved, and by his authority they 
went forth to proclaim the will of the Lord. 

201 


202 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE, 


This new order of revelation in preference 
to the Urim and Thummim began when the 
Lord called the lad Samuel to hear the 
judgment against the house of Eli. From 
that time it grew until the prophet took the 
place of the seer and the voice of the inspired 
man superseded the use of the priestly en- 
dowments. 

“David^s coming into Judah could not be 
hidden, and spies hastened to King Saul to 
inform him that David with his four hun- 
dred men was again in the land. Then it 
was that Saul gathered his retainers about 
him, summoned the priests into his presence 
and in the fury of his rage had them un- 
mercifully slaughtered. Abiathar, the son 
of the high priest and the rightful custodian 
of the sacred garments and paraphernalia of 
the priestly office, however, escaped and came 
to David, bringing with him the robes, the 
ephod and the oracles, the symbols of com- 
munication with the Lord their God. 

“ It was a thrilling scene in that thick for- 
est when the outposts of the band brought 
into the camp the refugee seeking protection, 
and as he came near the camp-fire David 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


203 


rushed upon him and folded him in his lov- 
ing embrace as his brother in affliction and 
henceforth companion-in-arms. As the band 
of bold men in that wood gathered about their 
chief, Abiathar told the story of the murder 
of the Lord’s household. The darkness of 
night made the forest appear the more im- 
penetrable ; the silence all about them inten- 
sified their isolation ; the lurid flames of the 
camp-fire revealed the emotion depicted on 
their countenances, and every man in silence 
listened as the awful story was told. 

‘‘It was indeed a thrilling moment for 
Abiathar as in that forest there again passed 
before his eyes the fearful spectacle he had 
witnessed and with every emotion strained to 
its utmost tension pictured the scene to his 
appalled hearers. When the king sent for 
the company of priests to go up to the roy- 
al presence, a dread foreboding of misfortune 
impressed their minds. With fatherly ten- 
derness and loving confidence the aged high 
priest had entrusted to his son the holy ora- 
cles and warned him at once to repair to a 
safe place if the enmity of the king should 
assail their city ; then in majestic parade the 


204 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


priests went forth to meet the king. When 
the king gave order to slay them, not a man 
of Israel would lift his hand — neither gen- 
eral, captain, soldier nor servant. The peo- 
ple always bowed in the presence of the high 
priest ; they had never heard an unkind 
word from his lips; to them he was the 
Lord’s man, and they would die before ir- 
reverently touching his sacred person ; 
but the Edomite herdsman — a man full of 
treachery, of fierce anger, hating the priests 
because of their purity and godliness, had 
no such scruples. When he drew his sword 
and approached the high priest, there was 
the most intense silence ; every heart seemed 
to quiver with the thought, Would he? — 
could he — do it?” The king in his anger, 
the soldiers in their amazement, the priests 
in calmness awaiting their fate, the infamous 
Doeg thirsting for the sacred blood and glar- 
ing like a hungry lion into the calm, triumph- 
ant countenance of the high priest, — all 
waited in silence. This silence was but for a 
moment, when the swift stroke of the sword 
came down upon the head of the high priest, 
cleaving it to the shoulders, and as the blood 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


205 


guslied forth and the body — until then so 
erect — fell, the hungry rage of the followers 
of Doeg led them upon the entire company 
of priests, who resisted not, but died as 
martyrs to their cause and lay a heap of 
bleeding murdered men. 

“ The sight of this awful carnage only in- 
creased the fury of the king, and Doeg and 
his followers, their swords and garments 
dripping with blood, rushed down to the 
city of Nob and there continued their aw- 
ful carnival of destruction. Humanity had 
ceased to find a home in their breasts. From 
the distance Abiathar saw them coming ; with 
his sacred possessions he fled down the ravine 
below the castle of the Jebusites, and in the 
clefts of the rocks sought a place where he 
might find refuge. 

‘‘The Edomites came to the city. They 
slew the man in his strength, the mother 
with her infant at her breast, the maiden in 
her sweet youthfulness, beauty, helplessness, 
innocence. Nothing restrained them ; it was 
death to all as long as their vigilant search 
could find a victim. Only when all were 
slain did these terrible murderers return to 


206 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


their king and show him how thoroughly 
they had accomplished his wishes. 

‘‘Abiathar knew where the honey filled 
the clefts of the rocks, and gradually he had 
worked his way toward David’s retreat ; and 
now, the sole survivor of his father’s house, 
he came to ally himself for ever with David. 

‘‘As the priest told this story the men 
drew closer and closer to his side; their 
countenances paled at the awful account, and 
they ground their teeth with rage at such 
uncalled-for barbarity. Then, when David, 
at the close of the narrative, weeping vio- 
lently, said, ‘ I knew it that day, when Doeg 
the Edomite was there, that he would surely 
tell Saul,’ they recalled how well their chief- 
tain had occasion to know the fierceness of 
the king’s anger when his spirit was aroused. 

“ David seemed to be frantic with the 
excess of his grief. He sobbed, he cried 
aloud, he threw himself in agony upon the 
ground, and his bitter wail was, ‘ I have 
occasioned the death of all the persons of 
thy father’s house.’ The deep cry of his 
soul was, ‘ Why has the Lord attached such 
fatality to me, and to those who favor me V 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


207 


Then, remembering that he was the com- 
mander of a body of brave men, he arose 
in the spirit of a leader and said to Abi- 
athar, ‘Abide thou with me, fear not: for he 
that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but 
with me thou shalt be in safeguard/ 

“ One day a commotion on the outskirts 
of the camp led the men to gather there to 
learn the cause, which was the arrival of 
some recruits bringing the news that the 
city of Keilah, below the mountains, in the 
hilly border of the Philistine plain, was 
attacked by the Philistines. Keilah was 
located in the centre of a rich grain-country. 
The people were undisturbed in their plant- 
ing and in their cultivation ; and when the 
harvests were ready, the men of Keilah sent 
word to the mountains of Judah for harvest- 
ers to come down and glean their fields. 
The mountaineers came in families, and 
remained until the harvests were fully gath- 
ered and taken to the thresh ing-fioors. In- 
tent on carrying out his feelings of ven- 
geance, King Saul was neglecting the bor- 
der-land, which emboldened the Philistines 
to send out parties to rob the threshing- 


208 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


floors and to carry into the Philistine cities 
the harvests of the dependants on Judah. 

‘‘David inquired of the Lord what he 
should do, and the word came to him, ‘ Go 
and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.’ 
Immediately the war-trumpet was blown; 
the band gathered about the camp-flre, and 
David announced that they would now leave 
their safe retreat to battle for their brethren 
against the Philistines. 

“ Strange to say, a murmuring arose, and 
the men said, ‘ Behold, we be afraid here in 
Judah : how much more then if we come 
to Keilah against the armies of the Philis- 
tines V 

“ It did look daring for a body of only a 
few hundred to enter into a contest with 
thousands, but David was never daunted 
when the foe was before him. He feared 
in Judah, for he did not wish to shed the 
blood of his own people ; because they were 
his people he forgave their enmity and 
sought their fellowship. However, to satisfy 
his men, he again inquired of the Lord. 

“ Never before nor since was such a sight 
seen in the forest of Hareth. The soldiers 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


209 


were drawn up in line beneath the trees in 
respectful attention to the act about to be 
performed. Every man was interested in it, 
as it was in all probability a matter of life 
or of death to him. Their captain had 
washed himself and clothed himself in new 
garments; he had carefully abstained from 
everything that might defile him, and now, 
in the presence of all his followers, with 
head bowed, was standing in the attitude of 
prayer to the Lord for guidance. Suddenly, 
just before him, out of the tent in which he 
offered his devotions to the Lord, Abiathar 
appeared, clothed in the regalia of his office 
as the high priest of Israel. 

“This was the first time Abiathar wore 
the sacred garments, which at the death of 
the high priest passed to his eldest son, and 
now, away from the tabernacle, the priestly 
fraternity, the ark, the scattered furniture 
of the house of God, having only the vest- 
ments and the sacred symbols of his office, 
the rightful heir of the high priesthood, a 
wanderer and allied to wanderers, in spirit 
of consecration to the Lord takes up his 
official privilege as the Lord^s servant and 

14 


210 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


seeks to know the Lord’s will that he might 
declare it to his followers. 

‘‘ First of all, Abiathar had on a broidered 
coat of linen, with breeches of linen and a 
girdle of linen, which was wound round the 
body several times from the breast down- 
ward, the ends hanging to his ankles. Over 
this was the robe of the ephod, made of 
woven work of blue color. It had no 
sleeves, the arms being covered by the 
sleeves of the white linen tunic. It had a 
hole for the head to pass through, and a 
border round it -of woven woi’k to prevent 
its tearing. The skirt of this robe was 
trimmed with pomegranates in blue, red and 
crimson, a little golden bell alternating with 
the pomegranates. Over this robe was the 
ephod, which consisted of two parts, one 
part covering the back, the other part cover- 
ing the front of the body. These were 
clasped together on the shoulders with two 
large onyx-stones, upon each of which were 
engraved the names of six of the tribes of 
Israel. It was united also at the waist by a 
curious girdle of gold, blue, purple, scarlet 
and fine twined linen. Over this was the 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


211 


breastplate, which was fastened at the top 
by rings and chains of wreathen gold to the 
two onyx-stones on the shoulders, and be- 
neath with two other rings and a lace of 
blue to two corresponding rings in the ephod, 
to keep it fixed in its place above the curious 
girdle. Upon the breastplate were twelve 
precious stones, on each of which was en- 
graved the name of one of the tribes of 
Israel, and inside the fold of the breast- 
plate was carried the precious Urim and 
Thummim, by which the will of God was 
revealed to the high priest. Upon his head 
was the white linen turban of the priests, 
and over it the upper turban with the gold 
plate, upon which were the words ‘ Holiness 
to the Lord this was fastened to the turban 
by a ribbon of blue. 

‘‘It was a glorious spectacle, and as the 
men saw Abiathar thus appear they remem- 
bered that he was now the only one in Israel 
rightfully thus to stand before them. When 
David, standing in his presence, his voice 
quivering with reverence, asked, “ Shall I go 
and smite those Philistines?’^ all waited with 
profoundest attention as Abiathar thrust his 


212 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


hand into the folds of the breastplate to learn 
the will of the Lord. 

“ Silence pervaded the forest. Not a man 
moved ; even the trees were motionless, not 
a breath of air swaying their outermost 
branches. David was intently watching 
the countenance of the high priest. Abia- 
thar seemed to be filled with a sense of 
awful reverence in receiving for the first 
time the divine communication. With head 
bowed he was gazing into the folds of his 
breastplate, and then suddenly his features 
relaxed ; a glowing smile broke over his face. 
He removed his hand ; he looked at David, 
and in tones of thrilling intensity so clear 
that every man heard, he replied, ‘ Arise, go 
down to Keilah : for I will deliver the Phil- 
istines into thine hands, saith the Lord.’ 

“ There was now no further murmuring, 
but with a shout the camp was broken up, 
and in a short time the warriors were on 
their way to the distressed town. Many 
hours they marched, while along the way the 
people from their dwellings and the shep- 
herds from their sheepfolds watched their 
progress. Over hills and down ravines, 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 213 

while the foxes fled into their holes and the 
lions retreated to their lairs, they pressed, 
until before them on its hill was seen the 
town they were seeking. 

“ The gates of the town were shut, and 
the Philistines were ravaging the country 
about it. In hidden cisterns the people had 
stored their grain, and had then fled into the 
town for safety. The Philistines were both 
watching the town and scouring the country 
searching for the hidden cisterns. Some they 
found, but they knew there were many they 
did not And, for these people, living in con- 
stant fear of their attacks, had become skill- 
ful in building their grain-vaults, or cisterns, 
beneath the ground, so covering them as to 
leave no trace of their location. 

‘‘ Now from the walls of the town David’s 
troop was seen ; the housetops along the walls 
were crowded with the observing people. The 
Philistines in the valley were not yet conscious 
of their approach. Suddenly, with a united 
shout from the entire band, David pressed 
forward with his men and in battle met the 
surprised Philistines. The conflict was short 
and sharp. The Philistines were robbers; 


214 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


David’s men were acting in accordance with 
the command of the Lord. The Philistines 
expected no foe from that quarter; David’s 
men were ready and looking for the foe. 
The Philistines were ordinary marauders ; 
David’s men were mighty men of war. The 
contest was unequal except as to numbers — 
for there were many more of the Philistines — 
but David prevailed. He scattered the Phil- 
istines ; he recaptured what they had taken ; 
he sacked their camp ; he took their cattle ; 
he slaughtered the men like frightened sheep, 
and thus saved the city of Keilah from the 
destruction which had threatened it. Then 
amid the shouting of the people and their 
glad welcome David with his men entered the 
town and received the people’s hospitalities. 

Saul was soon informed of David’s deed, 
and he rejoiced because David had entered 
into a walled city ; for if he thought to trust 
in walls, he would surround him with an 
army so large that his men would crawl over 
the walls and beat every part of the city to 
dust but that they would find his hiding- 
place. Therefore Saul said, ‘ God hath de- 
livered him into mine hand ; for he is shut 


GUIDED BY THE ORACLE. 


215 


in, by entering into a town that hath gates 
and bars/ 

‘‘ Saul ordered the war- trumpets to be 
blown over Israel ; he called all the people 
together ; he commanded the advance on 
Keilah ; he already exulted in the destruc- 
tion of his foe. But David was not so in- 
nocent a warrior as to forget to be cautious, 
and by this time he had his spies even at the 
king’s court and means established by which 
he could discover the intentions against him. 
Now, learning of the activity of the king, he 
called Abiathar, commanded him to prepare 
himself to find out the divine will, and then, 
when he was clothed with his ephod and its 
treasures, through him thus addressed God : 
‘ O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath cer- 
tainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to 
Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will 
the men of Keilah deliver me up into his 
hand ? will Saul come down, as thy servant 
hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I be- 
seech thee, tell thy servant.’ 

“ The answer came quickly : ‘ He will 
come down.’ 

“Then again David asked, ‘Will the men 


216 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


of Keilah deliver me and my men into the 
hand of Saul?’ 

‘‘Again came the answer with startling 
emphasis : ‘ They will deliver thee up.’ 

“ Thus again David was conscious that 
treachery lurked all about him. Even the 
very ones whom he had befriended at the 
risk of his life were ready upon the call of 
the king to give him up to die. 

“The king’s army was approaching; it 
might soon be near. It would take it only 
a short time to close all avenues of escape. 
It was indeed a desperate strait to be in, but 
with his usual promptness David gathered 
his band. They left the city, no man know- 
ing the plans of their leader. No traitor 
could tell their destination to Saul ; indeed, 
they went out of Keilah to seek a refuge 
and only by the utmost diligence, escaped the 
snares prepared for them by their powerful 
foe.” 


CHAPTER XVII. 

HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 

‘‘T)ACK into the forest returned David, 
eluding the vigilance of the crafty 

king. 

‘‘ The place chosen was peculiar. On the 
one side were verdant vales, fields in a high 
state of cultivation and pastures of great 
extent, over which roamed large flocks of 
sheep and goats, while on the other side were 
deep ravines, isolated crags, a desolate wil- 
derness and the waters of the salt sea. To- 
ward the south stretched the desert ; toward 
the north, the wilderness of crags and ra- 
vines. It was a fitting place for the free- 
booter, as there were hundreds of hiding- 
places into which he could flee from a pur- 
suing foe. On the outskirts of this wilder- 
ness was the great forest, covering hill and 
dale with its thick growth, and into this for- 

217 


218 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


est David retired to establish his camp and 
to continue his watchfulness. 

“ When Saul had learned that David had 
fled into the wilderness, he returned again 
to Gibeah, leaving his soldiers under his cap- 
tains to press the search until they found the 
lair of the intrepid son of Jesse. These rest- 
ed not day nor night, but from one point to 
another forced David to flee. 

When David established himself in the 
midst of the forest, it seemed impossible for 
the foe to entrap him without treachery on 
the part of the dwellers in the forest, who 
knew all its secret places, and if so disposed 
could lead an enemy into all parts of its 
labyrinthine paths. 

“ One day, when David was resting in his 
tent, the watchman brought in a man who 
came on a special mission to the chieftain. 
With respect the soldiers made way for him 
and informed David of his coming. It was 
Jonathan, the king’s son and the heir to the 
throne, and David’s covenant-friend. As he 
came up David rushed into his embrace, and 
with all the tenderness of women, even in the 
presence of the brave, fearless soldiers, the 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 


219 


friends manifested their love for each other ; 
then, going aside from the troops, they en- 
gaged in a delightful conversation. 

‘‘Jonathan seemed to have received the 
illumination of the Spirit of the Lord, and 
with the fire of prophecy shining in his eyes 
announced to David his convictions as to his 
ultimate destiny as king of Israel. He said, 
‘ Fear not : for the hand of Saul my father 
shall not find thee ; and thou shalt be king 
over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee, 
and that also Saul my father knoweth.’ 

“ Then David and Jonathan renewed their 
covenant of fidelity one to the other ; David 
would ever be merciful to Jonathan’s house, 
and Jonathan would ever be loyal to David’s. 
After the conclusion of this covenant they 
again embraced each other, and Jonathan 
was led out of the intricate paths of the 
forest to the open country, from which he 
at once returned to his home in Gibeah, 
never again to see the friend to whom he 
yielded his power. 

“ David was surrounded by traitors, and 
even while he was so sweetly communing 
with Jonathan, the Ziphites — those who 


220 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


dwelt in the forest and in the wilderness, 
who hunted over its crags and through its 
dense thickets, and who loved the wild, hard 
life it required — were on their way to Gibeah 
treacherously to yield up to Saul the tribal 
brother who with them had sought shelter. 
With them the covenant of bread and salt 
was about to be ignored, and their covet- 
ousness, leading them to desire the rewards 
offered by the king, prevailed to induce 
them to strike the oppressed who had 
sought shelter in their secluded forest- 
glades. Their messenger came to Saul as 
he was in his royal tent at Gibeah and said 
to him, ‘ Doth not David hide himself with 
us in the strong holds in the wood, in the 
hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of 
Jeshimon? Now, therefore, O king, come 
down, according to all the desire of thy 
soul to come down ; and our part shall be 
to deliver him up into the king’s hand.’ 

‘‘Such treachery was pleasing to King 
Saul, and his spirit of jealousy was quieted 
by this proof of subservience. Filled with 
delight, he smiled upon the envoys, and in 
the most gracious tones replied, ‘ Blessed be 


BUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 


221 


ye of the Lord ; for ye have had compas- 
sion on me. Go, I pray you, make yet 
more sure, and know and see his place 
where his haunt is, and who hath seen him 
there : for it is told me that he dealeth very 
subtilly. See therefore and take knowledge 
of all the lurking-places where he hideth 
himself, and come ye again to me with the 
certainty, and I will go with you : and it 
shall come to pass, if he be in the land, 
that I will search him out among all the 
thousands of Judah.’ 

‘‘ The Ziphites now returned to their for- 
ests, while Saul followed more leisurely with 
his army of trained soldiers. When they 
came to the forest, they found that David 
had removed his forces to the lofty conical 
hill of Maon, and with his guard on its lofty 
summit to watch the coming of the foe was 
hiding his men in the waste desert-plains 
beneath it on the south side. His foe could 
not surprise him in this peculiar location, for 
from the summit of the hill nine cities of 
Judah were in plain view — Maon, Carmel, 
Ziph, Juttah, Jattir, Socho, Anab, Eshte- 
moa and Hebron — and the gathering of 


222 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


any foe or any unusual activity on the part 
of these people could plainly be seen. 

“ The approach of King SauFs army was 
a grand sight to the watchmen and to David 
as they saw them coming over the hill by 
Hebron, seven miles away. It was not a 
small troop brought out against David’s six 
hundred, but the army of Israel, with King 
Saul at the head. On they came, company 
after company, with their swords, their 
spears, their Benjamite slingers, their bow- 
men, their swift runners, their nobles clad 
in huge coats of burnished mail, their 
trumpeters before the king and their usual 
camp-followers in the rear. Guided by the 
treacherous Ziphites, they came nearer and 
nearer, until they seemed to swarm over all 
paths of escape in that direction. The 
Ziphites were posting them well, and David 
saw that not a single avenue for retreat was 
open about him. On came the king until he 
bordered the hill on the north, then by a 
quick movement sent a body of troops to the 
south, thus hemming David completely in. 

“ Thus far David had not raised his hand 
against his own people; now, if the king 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 223 

advanced much farther, the only course left 
David to avoid capture would be to fight his 
way to safety over the dead bodies of his 
own countrymen. The thought of freedom 
purchased at such a price was horrible to his 
tender and patriotic soul. 

‘‘From his lofty watch-tower David saw 
dust rising far up the road ; swift as the 
pace of a camel could bring him a messen- 
ger was coming to the king, and the king’s 
guards went forth to meet him. Then 
David heard the peal of the trumpets call- 
ing together the captains of the host. There 
was a remarshaling of the troops, and, the 
trumpeters of the king in the advance, the 
entire army with rapid march ascended the 
hill toward Hebron. 

“ David watched them until they had 
passed over the hill and were out of sight ; 
then, returning to his men, he met one of his 
spies, who announced that when the Phil- 
istines had heard that King Saul had with- 
drawn his army from the defences along their 
territories, and was hunting David in the 
wilderness, they opened the gates of their 
cities and sent their armies forth to raid 


224 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


upon the land of Israel. With fury King 
Saul turned on them. In such an emergency 
he dared not delay nor press the search for 
David, although he knew how near he was 
to success ; but these thieving Philistines 
were just as watchful as was he, and they 
spared not a single opportunity to devastate 
or to pillage the land of Israel. David’s 
capture was merely deferred, and Saul de- 
termined that when he had punished the 
marauders he would return and complete the 
defeat of the son of Jesse. David saw the 
hand of the Lord in this .preservation of his 
liberty, and unto him in grateful adoration 
sang his hymns of praise. 

‘‘When Saul had departed, David also 
left the retreat where there was so little 
security now that its secret paths had been 
betrayed, and passed several miles toward 
the north to the strongholds of Engedi. 
When Saul returned from fighting the 
Philistines, and it was told him that David 
had fled among the cliffs bordering the salt 
sea in the Wilderness of Engedi, he selected 
out of his army three thousand men specially 
adapted to climbing rocks and fighting on 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 


225 


the edges of precipices, and with them went 
into these ravines and over these rocks the 
more determinedly to seek his foe. What a 
wild, exciting, hazardous chase it was ! In 
quality the pursuers were equal to the pur- 
sued, and in numbers excelled them. It 
was three thousand against six hundred, and 
these three thousand flushed with the vic- 
tories just obtained over the Philistines in 
the ravines and on the hills in the western 
part of the land. 

The whole country now entered by 
pursued and pursuers ‘ was a wilderness of 
rough, barren hills, precipitous mountains 
and profound gorges,’ in which there was but 
one spot as an oasis in this desert, and it 
overhung the blue waters of the salt sea. 
Engedi was a beautiful spot. It was called 
‘ the fountain of the kid,’ and was the resort 
of the wild goats that found their homes on 
these cliffs. The fountain is in one of the 
wildest ravines in the country and some 
fifteen hundred feet below the level of the 
general plateau called ‘the Wilderness of 
Engedi.’ It bursts forth at once a fine 
stream from beneath a rock upon a shelving 

15 


226 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


terrace more than four hundred feet above 
the Dead Sea. The water — sweet though 
tepid — rushes over the face of the cliff down 
to the shore in a long or almost continuous 
cascade. Along the entire course of the 
stream are luxuriant jungles of tall cane, 
thickets of thorny acacia, the dom and other 
trees and low bushes. Conspicuous along 
its banks is the far-famed apple of Sodom, 
with its grayish cork-like bark and its long 
oval leaves, the fruit, resembling a large 
smooth apple or orange, hanging in clusters 
of three or four together, and when ripe of 
a yellow color. This fruit is fair and de- 
licious to the eye and soft to the touch, but 
on being pressed or struck it explodes with a 
puff like a bladder or a puff-ball, leaving in 
the hand only the shreds of the thin rind 
and a few fibres. 

‘‘The rocks and the cliffs about Engedi 
were called the ‘ rocks of the wild goats.’ 
Many times had David hunted the goats on 
these their native cliffs, and now like a wild 
goat he was being hunted. Many a time 
had David seen a buck ‘ as he leaped from 
needle to needle toss back his enormous 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 


227 


curved horns till they seemed to strike be- 
hind his tail, then in his bound gather all 
his four feet and light with them close to- 
gether on a little point of rock on the face 
of what seemed a smooth wall of cliff, and 
from this make a drop and break the fall 
by lighting on the front of his horns.’ 
The very courage of the wild goats and their 
ability to elude pursuers gave courage to 
David and hope that he might elude Saul. 

“ Saul’s three thousand chosen guards were 
at home among the rocks, and they vigor- 
ously gained upon David and his men. As 
they went forward they came to a line of 
cliffs in which were a number of caves ; these 
were used as sheepcotes by the shepherds, 
who in the rainy seasons sought their shelter 
from the storms while using the pastures, 
scant yet more plentiful than in the less dan- 
gerous fields in which the herbage had been 
cropped short. In front of these caverns 
the shepherds had built a circular wall of 
loose stones, and had covered this with 
thorns, to form a protection against robbers 
or from wild beasts. In the caverns the 
darkness was intense, and one entering could 


228 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


see nothing before him, but one inside look- 
ing toward the entrance could see all that 
was taking place. It was in just such a cav- 
ern that David had withdrawn with his men 
when the watchman descried the soldiers of 
Saul coming around a point of rock in the 
deep narrow ravine. 

‘‘ When Saul came to this sheepcote and 
saw that it fronted a cave, he left the soldiers 
to continue die search, and alone entered the 
cave. The king was weary with the forced 
marches. The constant nursing of his ha- 
tred and jealousy was taking from him his 
strength, and he was fast losing his power 
as the strong man of Israel. Now he seeks 
rest, and, covering his feet with his long 
tunic, in the darkness of the cave sleeps. 

Into that cave David and his men saw 
the king enter. Ah ! how Saul had aged since 
David first saw him in his glory at Gibeah ! 
and his misery of countenance awakened 
all the tenderness of David’s soul. But 
David’s men were jubilant. They cared not 
for the life of the king ; they thought only 
of his enmity to them and to their captain ; 
so they said to David in subdued whispers, 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 229 

‘ Behold the day of which the Lord said unto 
thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into 
thine hand, and thou shalt do to him as it 
shall seem good unto thee/ 

David softly crept forward and with the 
keen edge of his sword deftly cut off the 
skirt of SauFs robe, and with it silently 
crept back to his men. Even this caused 
him to feel a pang of regret, for he desired 
at all times to pay due respect to the king. 

“ David’s men were eager to take the life 
of the cruel king ; they urged and insisted 
on thus ending the strife, but David repressed 
their bloodthirstiness by saying, ‘The Lord 
forbid that I should do this thing unto my 
lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put forth mine 
hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s 
anointed.’ 

“ Saul awakened, and, still unconscious of 
the presence of any other person in the cave 
and without missing the skirt of his robe, 
passed out of the cave and started on his 
way after his soldiers. He had gone but a 
few steps when, hearing the call behind him, 
‘ My lord the king !’ he turned and saw 
standing on the rock by the mouth of the 


230 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


cave he had just quitted the unarmed form 
of the foe he sought, bowing before him with 
his face to the ground and with due respect 
making the proper obeisance. 

‘‘ Astonished, the king stood and listened 
to the voice of David, who now with sweet 
modesty and filial respect thus addressed 
him : ‘ Wherefore hearkenest thou to men’s 
words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy 
hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have 
seen how that the Lord had delivei*ed thee 
to-day into mine hand in the cave : and 
some bade me kill thee : but mine eye spared 
thee ; and I said, I will not put forth mine 
hand against my lord ; for he is the Lord’s 
anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, 
see the skirt of thy robe in my hand ; for in 
that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and 
killed thee not, know thou and see that 
there is neither evil nor transgression in mine 
hand, and I have not sinned against thee, 
though thou huntest after my soul to take it. 
The Lord judge between thee and me, and 
the Lord avenge me of thee : but mine hand 
shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb 
of the ancients. Out of the wicked cometh 


HUNTED ON THE CLIFFS. 


231 


forth wickedness : but mine hand shall not 
be upon thee. After whom is the king of 
Israel come out ? after whom dost thou pur- 
sue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The 
Lord therefore be judge, and give sentence 
between me and thee, and see, and plead my 
cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.’ 

‘‘ As the king listened to these words and 
saw David standing on the rock holding in 
his hand the skirt of the king’s robe which 
he had cut off, and as he realized the danger 
he had been in and the mercy David had 
shown in sparing him after such grievous 
provocation, a sense of his own cruelty to 
David filled his mind, and for a moment all 
he could say was, ‘ Is this thy voice, my son 
David?’ and then his emotions overcame 
him, and he wept in his penitence and 
humiliation. Then he said to David, ‘Thou 
art more righteous than I : for thou hast 
rendered unto me good, whereas I have 
rendered unto thee evil. And thou hast 
declared this day how that thou hast dealt 
well with me; forasmuch as when the Lord 
had delivered me up into thine hand, thou 
killedst me not. For if a man find his 


232 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


enemy, will lie let him go well away ? where- 
fore the Lord reward thee good for that 
thou hast done unto me this day. And 
now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely 
be king, and that the kingdom of Israel 
shall be established in thine hand. Swear 
now therefore unto me by the Lord, that 
thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and 
that thou wilt not destroy my name out of 
my father’s house.’ 

David, standing on the rock, lifted high 
his hand toward heaven and gave oath that 
he would not destroy the seed of King Saul, 
but would in mercy remember them wdien 
prosperity came upon him. 

‘‘ Then Saul sent forth from his trumpet 
a peal that echoed and re-echoed among the 
cliffs of Engedi ; in obedience to it his men 
came clustering about him, and he led 
them by the nearest route up to the hills of 
Judah, then to the royal camp at Gibeah. 
David led his men back again into the 
forests below Hebron, with which they were 
already so familiar. He was happy at heart, 
for once more had Saul spoken kindly to 
him.” 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


THE PROPHETS BURIAL. 

“ ^NCE more Peace had spread her wings 
^ over the land, and the warlike passions 
of the people were subdued. The Philis- 
tines had withdrawn into their cities to pre- 
pare for a future conflict; the Amalekites, 
on the southern border of the land, were 
resting in their desert-fastnesses ; the Canaan- 
ites, Jebusites and other of the native people 
of the land were living in harmony with the 
Israelites. Saul with his army of veterans 
had returned to Gibeah, and David with his 
men was hunting the wild goats along the 
crags and the precipices of the salt sea. 
The sky was cloudless above them, the air 
was still about them ; men actively pursued 
their trades, and flocks fed peacefully in 
their pastures. 

wail of sorrow suddenly rose from 
Hamah and spread from one end of the land 

233 


234 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


to the Other, and swift runners coursed 
through the land proclaiming that Samuel, 
the beloved of the Lord and of the people, 
was dead. No other human name could thus 
have touched the hearts of the children of 
Israel. Samuel was their hero in a truer 
and a loftier sense than was any other man, 
and at the hearthstones of the sorrowing 
people the fathers reminded their offspring 
of the things which more closely than any 
other man bound Samuel to the children of 
Israel. Once more was rehearsed the story 
of the little lad led to the venerable high 
priest Eli at Shiloh by the mother who thus 
gave to the service of her God the pride 
and the joy of her heart. This was a long 
time ago ; no one in the land remembered 
it, but by their parents it had been told to 
children, and the oldest of the people could 
only remember when, going to Shiloh with 
their parents, they saw the devout lad in 
his service waiting on the venerable high 
priest. 

“ The story was again told of the calling 
of the lad to the office of seer by the Lord 
communicating with him by voice as of a 


THE PROPHET’S BURIAL. 


235 


man, calling him from his couch and reveal- 
ing to him the punishment that because of 
their sins would come upon the sons of the 
high priest and upon the tribes. Then came 
the awful fulfillment of this prophecy, the 
loss of the ark of the covenant in battle and 
the obliteration of Shiloh as the religious 
centre of the land. In that dark period how 
were they oppressed by the Philistines, whose 
progress nothing seemed powerful enough to 
resist ! and Israel was reduced almost to the 
condition of slaves. 

‘‘Then came the story of Samson’s ex- 
ploits. Samson was born about the same 
time as was Samuel, and became one of the 
greatest of Israel’s judges ; by his marvelous 
power he harassed the Philistines, giving 
hope to oppressed Israel. But he passed 
away, and the Philistines the more tightly 
held poor Israel in their awful grip. 

“ After many years of silent waiting Sam- 
uel came before the people as the mouthpiece 
of the Lord, calling them to repentance and 
telling them that their sins had caused the 
Lord thus to afflict them. While Israel, 
acting in obedience to his call, was assembled 


236 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


at Mizpah, below Ramah, the haughty Phil- 
istines — who would not allow any gathering 
together, for any purpose, of the people 
under their yoke — came against them to 
punish them ; but the Lord fought for Is- 
rael, and by a terrible storm, with hoarse 
crashing of thunders and fiery bolts of light- 
ning, wrought dismay amongst the Philistines, 
until Israel, encouraged by this manifestation 
of the favor of the Lord, gained courage, 
followed after the retreating foe and severely 
smote them. Then Samuel set up a memo- 
rial stone and called it Eben-ezer, which 
meant ‘ Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.^ 
From this time he was recognized as the 
judge of the Lord, and so great was the 
fear w^ith which the Philistines observed him 
when they saw that the Lord was with liim 
that they never again came against him, for 
he was not only a judge, but also a seer capa- 
ble of seeing the things in the future and of 
using upon his foes the power of the unseen 
world. 

‘‘Then, in Israel, Samuel was not only 
looked upon as the commander of the tribes 
to defeat the enemy, but as a judge in a high- 


THE PROPHET’S BURIAL. 


237 


er sense than had yet been known — the truly 
judicial sense, to render justice between 
men, to settle their disputes, to be their arbi- 
trator, and, binding them together as breth- 
ren, to develop among them the national 
fraternal spirit. To accomplish these things 
he established courts — one at Bethel, in the 
mountain-region, one at Gilgal, down in the 
plains of the Jordan, and one at Mizpeh, near 
his residence, where the Lord had wrought 
for the people such a w^onderful victory 
over the Philistines — and periodically made 
a circuit of the land, strengthening the peo- 
ple by his counsel and instructing them in 
the law of the Lord. With the true Israel- 
itish feeling of the sacredness of inheritance, 
he established his home in Bamah, where he 
had been born ; from his father he had re- 
ceived this spot as his landed inheritance in 
Israel. It was not only as his inheritance, 
but as a wise choice, that Hamah was made 
his chief station. It was on the top of a lofty 
mountain, and from its summit could be seen 
a great part of the land ; the people could 
behold it, and, seeing it, would think of their 
noble leader dwelling there and of the truths 


238 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


which he taught to them. Kamah was Sam- 
uehs watch-tower. 

But the service of the tabernacle had 
fallen into disuse. The triumph of the 
Philistines, tlie taking of the ark, the wide- 
spread demoralization of the people, the gen- 
eral sense of insecurity, had broken up the 
offering at the sacred altar, and even the tab- 
ernacle had been removed to Nob. Samuel 
now built an altar on his own lofty watch- 
tower, and from their homes the people could 
see, though many miles distant, the smoke 
by day and the fire by night of the offerings 
upon that consecrated altar. 

‘‘Thus Samuel continued until his own 
sons were grown to man’s estate and he was 
numbered with the old men. He made 
judges of his sons, but they did not have his 
spirit. They were not called of God ; they 
were covetous and false in judgment, and 
the people cried out against them, until from 
one end of the land to the other the cry 
went forth, and the elders of the tribes car- 
ried it to their honored judge at Bamah. 
They had no fault to find with Samuel, but 
he was old ; his people needed a young man 


THE PROPHET’S BURTAL. 


239 


to lead them ; they were filled with the pro- 
gressive spirit. His sons had proven them- 
selves unworthy, and the people demanded a 
king. Samuel was displeased, but he took it 
to the Lord in prayer, and the Lord directed 
him to choose Saul and make him king, which 
Samuel did at Gilgal. Afterward he was 
commanded to go and anoint David at Beth- 
lehem, which he also did. 

‘‘ Samuel did not lose his hold on the peo- 
ple. Now there were two kinds of authority 
in the land — the king wielded the military, 
Samuel, the judicial — and the good old man 
still went among the people to arbitrate be- 
tween them and occasionally to sacrifice at 
their altars. All knew that his authority was 
above even that of the king, for he was their 
prophet, their seer, and stood as a mediator 
between them and God to pray for them and 
to teach them God’s will. 

‘‘ There was another feature of Samuel’s 
work, however, and one that still more inti- 
mately bound them to him. Not far from 
his residence in Bamah, in the meadows along 
the slopes of the mountain, were built a 
number of modest cottages, into which he 


240 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


gathered the choicest of the sons of the tribes 
to learn of him and go forth to do the work 
in which he instructed them. These were 
choice men, but not in the sense pleasing to 
the king. Saul took into his own service 
the choice men of the tribes to serve as sol- 
diers ; they were the strong, able-bodied, fine- 
looking men with whom he might make a 
grand display before the face of Israel. 
Samuel chose rather those of choice spirit 
who were filled with the Spirit of the Lord, 
who thought more of the sjDirit than of the 
flesh, and were by nature qualified to become 
the teachers in Israel. Their organization 
was known as the school of the prophets, 
and with them Samuel spent his happiest 
hours. While the fierce king was daily go- 
ing farther away from the Lord and battling 
with the enemies whom his rashness had 
aroused, Samuel was teaching his scholars, 
the prophets, how to serve the Lord in holy 
rapture and with unction. Thus, while 
the people would think of their stalwart 
sons with the king defending the tribes by 
the arm of war, they would more fondly 
think of their purest and best with the seer 


THE PROPHET’S BURIAL. 


241 


in the school of the prophets learning the 
wisdom and the praise of the Lord. 

‘‘ No man had a word against Samuel. 
His life was pure and free from all manner 
of injustice ; he was loved by all. Now he 
was dead ; the greatest of the sons of Israel 
had fallen — not by the hand of the foe, but 
by the terminator of all earthly strength, 
who in this case as the servant of the Lord 
was sent to lead him into the presence of 
the King eternal. 

‘‘Samuel belonged to Israel, and Israel 
gathered together at his funeral. Never in 
their history since they entered the Promised 
Land had there been such a funeral ; never 
since the days of Moses had there been a 
leader with the power and commanding the 
respect which Samuel possessed ; and now, 
in the lull of the storms which swept over 
the land, the shout of victory was hushed, 
the martial clamor was repressed, and the 
wail of sorrow rose everywhere. Hamah 
was clothed in mourning. The sons of 
Samuel gathered around the desolate hearth. 
The prophets from Naioth were clothed in 
sackcloth, and as they moved in steady 
16 


242 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


array the piercing cry peculiar to their 
office rent the air and stirred the hearts of 
all the people. Their musical instruments 
were silent; their rapture was exchanged 
for grief, their shout for a moan ; their 
glad countenances were overcast with gloom 
and sadness. Their leader was gone, and 
they who knew him best led in the lamenta- 
tions because of his death. 

The king came with his bodyguard, and 
they trod softly. Not a word was spoken 
by the stately king, but Israel was astonished 
to see how hollow his cheeks had become, 
how dim was his eagle eye, how faint and 
trembling was his hand ; but in proud maj- 
esty the king, his household and his guards 
came to mourn with Israel. 

“ Now there came another body. It was 
David with his gallant six hundred. There 
was at present peace between the hero and 
the house of Saul. Up from the cliffs of 
the wild goats they came with sorrow in 
their faces, turning neither to the right nor 
to the left, the men following their captain. 
With David, on either side, close to him, 
walked Gad and Nathan, both having been 


THE PROPHET’S BURIAL. 


243 


disciples of Samuel in the Naioth school. 
The people, accustomed to think of David 
as the avenging warrior and the slayer of 
the mighty giant, were astonished to see the 
heart-tenderness which he displayed. Tears 
flowed freely down his cheeks, suppressed 
sobs convulsed his frame, and seemingly 
wrapped in his grief he sought his place in 
the assembly to await the flnal ceremonies. 

‘‘ One by one the representatives of the 
tribes of Israel drew nigh, led by the white- 
haired elders. One would not have thought 
there were so many old men in Israel ; no 
other event could have brought them from 
tlieir homes. With them came thousands 
seeking to do honor to the memory of the 
man they loved. From indolent, luxury- 
loving, enfeebled Asher — the tribe that gave 
no heroes to the land and was satisfied with 
ignoble peace — came a few elders to repre- 
sent the Israelites on the Phoenician borders. 
From Naphtali — the tribe that gave Israel 
Barak, of whom Deborah sang — came moun- 
taineers from the slopes of lofty Ilermon 
and from the shores of sweet Galilee to 
express with their loud lamentations their 


244 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


sorrow at the death of the seer. Then came 
the people of Zebulon, who dwelt between 
the lake and the great sea, in rich, pro- 
ductive lands, traversed by the caravans 
of the desert; they had given Elon the 
judge to Israel, and they were bold in war 
as well as rich in flocks and fields. With 
them were the people of Issachar, who 
dwelt in the most fertile plains in all Israel ; 
their land was called the seed-plot of God, 
the gate of paradise for fruitfulness; their 
old men were wise in the traditions of Israel, 
and with full knowledge of the entire career 
of Samuel expressed their grief. Manasseh 
came from Carmel’s wooded hill, to which 
they had been pressed by their foes, and 
from east of Jordan came Manasseh, Keuben 
and Gad from the towering mountains of 
Gilead and the pasture-plains bordering the 
desert ; they remembered Gideon and Jeph- 
thah. From the south came Simeon, remem- 
bering how Samuel slew Agag. Near them 
were the Danites, the tribe of Samuel’s compan- 
nion in early life, the valiant Samson. Then 
came Benjamin from the hills and vales 
about Hamah, Judah out of the mountains 


THE PROPHET'S BURIAL. 


245 


of the south, and Ephraim with the deepest 
grief because the most tenderly esteemed by 
the noble Samuel, their tribal brother. 

‘‘ Booths were erected, and for many days 
all Israel remained mourning for Samuel. 
But the days of mourning passed away ; the 
body of the dead, wrapped in fine linen and 
perfumed with choicest spices, was laid in a 
rock-hewn tomb in his own town ; the booths 
were taken down, and the representatives of 
the tribes departed to their homes. Saul had 
again seen a peaceful assemblage of his peo- 
ple, and for the last 'time ; Da vid saw it for 
the first time, but among the company he 
recognized many who had sung his praises 
as the victor over ten thousands. 

David did not tarry, for he perceived 
that Saul had already lost the warmth of for- 
giveness, and as the king went down to Gib- 
eah a dangerous frown was seen to rest 
upon his countenance. As the Simeonites 
departed, David and his six hundred joined 
them, and kept in their company until they 
reached Hebron, when he left them and en- 
tered the forest which had already become 
famous as his rendezvous.’’ 


CHAPTER XIX. 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 

‘‘Viy^ITHOUT the invitation of the king 
» » David could not have visited Gibeah to 
appear at court or to return to his own house, 
and this invitation was not given. Nor could 
Saul have given it, for in pursuing his angry 
course he had severed the family-tie binding 
David to him by giving David’s beloved 
bride to Phaltiel as his wife, and thus with 
the force of a despot who regards no law 
but that of might had declared David to be 
dead to the house of Saul. David’s love for 
Michal was so great that years afterward, 
when victorious over all his foes, he would not 
treat with the house of Saul until they had 
returned him his wife, for whom he had paid 
a price so costly to the Philistines. 

David’s nature was eminently social, and 
there was a constant yearning for something 
gentler and sweeter than the coarse ways of 

246 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 


247 


an adventurer’s camp. Though bold as a 
lion and muscular as a bear, he was in his 
feelings as gentle as a dove, and craved the 
associations of the sex which delighted in 
music, in poetry and in the attention of love. 
Even when in the forest of Judah he would 
not be isolated from the society of ladies, 
but frequently met them, and in the affection 
of the fair Ahinoam of Jezreel found grati- 
fication which partially filled the void caused 
by his loss of the princess Michal. 

The j^rinciples of marriage were at that 
day not violated by a man having several 
wives, and David was the kind of a man 
readily to accept the love held out to him 
and to give in return a most cordial affection ; 
and even after having received the love of 
the fair Ahinoam he was drawn into a thrill- 
ing experience which in its progress showed 
some of the worst features of his nature, but 
happily ended with his marriage to the at- 
tractive heroine of the affair. 

‘‘In the vicinity of the forest in which 
David had his camp, in a beautiful vale, 
dwelt the wealthy Nabal. He was of one of 
the most honorable families in Israel — that of 


248 


FROM GAVE TO PALACE. 


the heroic Caleb — and in the course of years 
following the times of his ancestors prosper- 
ity had dawned upon his house, until at this 
period his sheep were in number three thou- 
sand and his goats a thousand. From the 
south the Amalekites might threaten the 
safety of his flock, or marauders from the 
desert or from Moab, or even the wild ani- 
mals, might come up from the rocky ravines 
of the salt sea and spread destruction amongst 
them. When David came into the neigh- 
borhood with his six hundred armed men, 
he formed a girdle of protecting power about 
the sheepfolds and the goatfolds that efiect- 
ually prevented any enemy, of whatever 
kind, from injuring the flocks. Thus he 
won the favor of the herdsmen of the wealthy 
Nabal. 

At length the sheepshearing-time came. 
This was generally counted as a season of 
rejoicing, of freedom and of unusual hospi- 
tality. With NabaFs men it was a great 
occasion, and Nabal himself took care that 
there was plenty of the strongest fruit of the 
vine and the choicest of the fruit of the field 
and flock with which to entertain his boon- 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 249 


companions. Nabal was mean and savage 
in his nature, but with dissolute companions 
he was exceedingly merry, and on this occa- 
sion did not fail to feast with almost as much 
show and extravagance as did the powerful 
King Saul, and equally as great was his feast 
as those of the kings in the desert or the 
lowlands near his own home. With soft 
couches to rest upon and many servants to 
do his bidding, with great quantities of wine, 
and merry minstrels to sing and keen jokers 
to tell riddles, they laughed and shouted and 
danced away the days of the festival of the 
shearing season. 

It was while this was going on that Da- 
vid, hearing of the shearing, prepared an 
embassy to go up to Nabahs house. David 
well knew the character of such a feast and 
the hospitality of the occasion which was the 
established custom in Israel; he therefore 
chose ten young men of his band who would 
enjoy such a mission, and sent them to Kabal 
to greet him in the name of their captain, 
and particularly to say to him, ‘Peace be 
both to thee, and peace be to thine house, 
and peace be unto all that thou hast. And 


250 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


now I have heard that thou hast shearers ; 
now thy shepherds which were with us, we 
hurt them not, neither was there aught miss- 
ing unto them, all the while they were in 
Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will 
show thee. Wherefore let the young men 
find favor in thine eyes : for we come in a 
good day : give, I pray thee, whatsoever 
cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and 
to thy son David.’ 

‘‘ The young men modestly repeated these 
words to the feasting king of flocks, and 
then awaited his answer, which, to their 
surprise, was far different from what they 
or their captain had expected from a true 
Israelite. Turning upon them with a look 
of anger and of drunken pride, he said, 
‘ Who is David ? and who is the son of 
Jesse ? there be many servants now-a-days 
that break away every man from his master. 
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, 
and my flesh that I have killed for my 
shearers, and give it unto men whom I 
know not whence they be?’ 

“This was indeed a gross insult, given in 
the most offensive manner, and the men told 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST 251 


it to their chief just as Nabal had said it to 

them. Now we see a new feature in David’s 
behavior. He was filled with anger. Such 
an insult could be wiped out only in blood, 
and in the fury of the moment, while the 
insult was with white heat burning into his 
soul, he bade the trumpeter sound the call 
for the band. When they were assembled, 
he ordered every man to take his sword ; 

then, instructing two hundred to remain to 
protect the camp, he led the remaining four 
hundred through the forest to the highway 
that went into Nabal’s broad fields. 

In the mean time, one of the young men 
who waited on Nabal and had witnessed the 
reception given David’s men, and who had 
marked the threatening looks they gave as 
they started on their return to their chief- 
tain’s camp, realized the danger that threat- 
ened his master’s house. He did not at- 
tempt to reason with his drunken lord, but, 
seeking the wife of his master, hastily told 
her the story as follows : ‘ Behold, David 
sent messengers out of the wilderness to 
salute our master; and he flew upon them. 
But the men were very good unto us, and 


252 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


we were not hurt, neither missed we any- 
thing, so long as we were conversant with 
them, when we were in the fields : they were 
a wall unto us both by night and day, all 
the while we were with them keeping the 
sheep. Now therefore know and consider 
what thou wilt do : for evil is determined 
against our master, and against all his house- 
hold ; for he is such a son of Belial that a 
man cannot speak to him.’ 

Well indeed need the servant of Nabal 
feel alarmed, for David was already on the 
march ; and his men were as furious as was 
their chief, for he said to them, ‘ Surely in 
vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in 
the wilderness, so that nothing was missed 
of all that pertained unto him : and he hath 
requited me evil for good. So and more 
also do God unto the enemies of David, if 
I leave of all that pertain to him by the 
morning light, so much as one man-child.’ 
The prospect of a raid on the rich man’s 
house must have delighted the most of the 
band, for without doubt it would yield to 
them a great quantity of valuable plunder. 

“ Abigail, the wife of Nabal, was equal to 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 253 


the emergency. She did not think it worth 
while to consult her husband, for he was too 
drunk to know what to do ; and even if he 
had been sober he was so cross-grained and 
churlish in disposition that he would have 
been controlled by his obstinacy instead of 
by his reason. So she quickly — for she 
fully realized the necessity of immediate 
action — ordered her servants to make prep- 
aration to appease David. Some she sent 
forward on the road to inform David that 
she was coming to him with the desire of 
peace ; others she ordered to get ready and 
take on asses two hundred loaves, two 
bottles of wine, five sheep ready dressed, 
five measures of parched corn, a hundred 
clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes 
of figs, and, riding upon an ass, she went 
forward to meet the chieftain, whom she 
rightly judged to be approaching. 

Abigail was not ignorant of the charac- 
ter and the troubles of the youthful chief- 
tain. She well knew that Saul hated him 
and had strenuously pursued him, but she 
also felt confident that the blessing of the 
Lord would enable him to gain the victory, 


254 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


for he was already known throughout the 
land as the servant of the Lord. She met 
the chieftain in a vale between two hills ; 
she was coming down the hill on one side, 
he was coming down that on the other. 
She beheld the glittering array of armed 
men, and he beheld a sight so beautiful that 
it at once prepared his mind for the peace 
offering about to be presented. 

Abigail was a beautiful woman, and in 
addition she was of good understanding ; 
her beauty was therefore increased by the 
vigor of her mind. Now her natural beauty 
was assisted by all the arts of the toilet that 
would be likely to move the heart or to 
awaken the admiration of the poetic and 
fervid David. The affair was too serious to 
leave undone anything that might be likely 
to touch his heart, and he gazed upon her as 
upon a gorgeous lily in the midst of a 
swamp, as the one flower in which every 
feature of loveliness and excellence was 
concentrated. 

“ As Abigail saw David she dismounted, 
and, walking to him, bowed in the most 
lowly and respectful manner before him, 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 255 


saying in pleading, eloquent tones, assisted 
by the changing expression of her beautiful 
countenance, ‘ Upon me, my lord, upon me 
let this iniquity be : and let thine handmaid, 
I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and 
hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not 
my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of 
Belial, even Nabal : for as his name is, so is 
he : Nabal is his name, and folly is with 
him : but I thine handmaid saw not the 
young men of my lord, whom thou didst 
send. Now, therefore, my lord, as the Lord 
liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the 
Lord hath withholden thee from coming to 
shed blood, and from avenging thyself with 
thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and 
they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 
And now this present which thine handmaid 
hath brought unto my lord, let it even be 
given unto the young men that follow my 
lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass ot 
thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly 
make my lord a sure house ; because my 
lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and 
evil hath not been found in thee all thy 
days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, 


256 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and to seek thy soul : but the soul of my 
lord shall be bound in the bundle of life 
with the Lord thy God : and the souls of 
thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as 
out of the middle of a sling. And it shall 
come to pass, when the Lord shall have 
done to my lord according to all the good 
that he hath spoken concerning thee, and 
shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel ; 
that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor 
offence of heart unto my lord, either that 
thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my 
lord hath avenged himself : but when the 
liOrd shall have dealt well with my lord, 
then remember thine handmaid.’ 

‘‘ Before Abigail was through speaking it 
was evident that she had captured the heart 
of the chieftain, and as she concluded her 
appeal, with his own peculiar enthusiasm he 
replied : ‘ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 
which sent thee this day to meet me : and 
blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, 
which hast kept me this day from coming to 
shed blood, and from avenging myself with 
mine own hand. For in very deed, as the 
Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 257 


me back from hurting tbee, except thou 
hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely 
there had not been left unto Nabal by the 
morning light even so much as a man-child/ 
Then, graciously accepting her present, he 
dismissed her, saying, ‘ Go up in peace to 
thine house : see, I have hearkened to thy 
voice, and have accepted thy person/ 

‘‘ With gladness of heart Abigail returned 
toward her home, while David returned to 
his camp in the forest. 

“Abigail saw that rumor had not added 
to the charms of the chieftain, and even 
while her mind was dwelling upon the 
beauty of his countenance and the sweetness 
of his voice she came to her own home and 
heard the drunken laughter and shoutings 
of Nabal and his fellows as they feasted and 
drank wine, little thinking of the danger 
from which they had just been saved. Abi- 
gail could not but be disgusted even until 
she loathed the man who called her his 
wife. 

“ Nabal that night was too drunk to hear 
the story, and only in the morning, after he 
had slept off his intoxication, did Abigail 

17 


258 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


tell it to him, and then the danger, as she 
represented it, struck him with terror. His 
mind gave way, his body became as a stone, 
power of motion, of expression, of sense, 
left him, and in ten days he died, stricken 
by the Lord. The news of his death so 
soon after his merry feast was at once carried 
to David, and as the messenger told him of 
it he said, ‘ Blessed be the Lord, that hath 
pleaded the cause of my reproach from the 
hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his 
servant from evil : and the evil doing of 
Nabal hath the Lord returned upon his own 
head.’ 

But David could not drive out of his 
mind the face and the speech of the beauti- 
ful Abigail, and in a suitable time he sent a 
number of his most favored servants with 
handsome gifts to say unto Abigail, ‘ David 
hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him 
to wife.’ 

The announcement of this message was 
well-pleasing to Abigail, and with a quick 
readiness such as showed the vigor of her life 
she acknowledged the dignity of the mission 
by rising from her seat and bowing low before 


THE WEDDING IN THE FOREST. 259 


the young men and saying, ‘ Behold, thine 
handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the 
servants of my lord and then, quickly 
making her preparations, with five of her 
most highly-favored damsels she followed 
the messengers, and in the camp of David, 
before the high priest Abiathar, the prophets 
Nathan and Gad and the noble six hundred, 
became his bride. 

‘‘Merrily rang the shouts of the friends 
of the bridegroom ; merrily passed the days 
of the honeymoon, and then the clouds again 
darkened the sky and the storm came.” 


CHAPTER XX. 


SAUnS LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 

‘‘TAAVID now seemed to be on the wing 
^ of good fortune. In the midst of his 
camp he established his court. The pres- 
ence of his wives and also of the wives of 
many of his soldiers led to social forms and 
gatherings. The rich vineyards of Carmel 
furnished plenty of wine, and the extensive 
flocks of the valley gave meat in abundance. 
David, having married such distinguished 
females as Ahinoam and Abigail, was thus 
allied to the wealthy people of that part of 
the land, and was no longer regarded as a 
freebooter among them, but as one of them- 
selves, and could be received on an equal so- 
cial standing. 

“David’s prosperity again awakened the 
jealousy of Saul, who, forgetting the past, 
once more burned with vengeance against 
the chieftain whose success in his jealous eye 
260 


SAUrS LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 261 


seemed to menace the safety of the throne. 
The Ziphites too, currying favor with the 
king, informed him of every movement of 
the enemy in their midst. They were con- 
stantly at the royal court suggesting to the 
king that by a bold move he might destroy 
this claimant to the throne, and that with 
his death all the discontent in the kingdom 
would cease. 

‘‘King Saul was evidently in the hands 
of designing persons, and, as they played 
upon his jealousy, he yielded to their wishes. 
Once more the royal trumpeter, standing 
before the king’s tent, sounded the call to 
arms, and the bodyguard of three thousand 
— the most soldierly-looking men in the 
twelve tribes — under the immediate com- 
mand of Abner, were drawn up in martial 
array. The king looked upon them with 
pride. They were brave, active, capable 
men ; they could swim the waters like fish 
or climb the crags like wild goats ; with the 
accuracy of a hair’s-breadth they could cast 
the stone from the sling, and could use the 
sword equally well with the right hand or 
with the left. They could fight in brilliant. 


262 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


shining metallic armor, or they could divest 
themselves of it and rush naked upon the 
foe. These were the men whom Saul chose 
to pursue the enemy of his throne. For- 
ward they marched until they came again 
to the country of the Ziphites, who, acting 
as bloodhounds, were to direct them to the 
camp of David. 

‘‘ Not only was this camp in the forest, 
but this forest covered one of the lofty 
mountain-cliifs, and the camp was on that 
side of the cliff* facing the wilderness bor- 
dering the salt sea. All about it were im- 
mense clifiPs, tangled thickets and deep val- 
leys leading to the salt sea, full of places 
suitable for refuges. Saul’s army was five 
times as large as David’s, yet the advantages 
of the dens among the clifiPs and the famil- 
iarity of David’s followers with all the paths 
leading to them made reasonable their hoping 
to be able to escape the hand of the king, 
unless the Ziphites should guide the pur- 
suers every step of the way. 

David sent forth his spies, and from the 
time Saul’s army left Hebron every move- 
ment it made was reported to David, as were 


SAUL’S LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 263 

also the number of the men, the names of 
the distinguished warriors and their plans 
for the pursuit. As they came nearer, David 
watched their motions until they entered the 
wilderness and j^repared for their encamp- 
ment. The spot they had chosen from which 
to direct their campaign was immediately 
below the cliff upon which David 'had estab- 
lished his watch-tower, and from which at 
this very time he was watching them arrange 
their baggage, vehicles, beasts of burden and 
stores of provisions as a barricade about the 
camp. Then night came on, and the clear 
light of the sun was superseded by the pale 
light of the moon, by which the camp could 
still be seen, but indistinctly. 

On the watch-tower David was accom- 
panied by a small band of his most trusted 
followers — Ahimelech the Hittite and Abi- 
shai, his nephew, and their armor-bearers, — 
with whom he conversed about the camp be- 
neath them. David said to them, ‘ Who will 
go down with me to Saul to the camp T 

It was a bold thought ; such an act was 
fraught with the greatest danger, but Abishai 
the fleet-footed, who laughed at danger and 


264 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


cared not for crags, at once answered his chief, 
‘ I will go down with thee/ 

‘‘Ahimelech remained upon the watch- 
tower, looking and listening, as the night 
wore on. Divesting themselves of all super- 
fluous clothing and taking only their spears 
with them, the bold men began the descent 
of the cliff. Ahimelech soon lost sight of 
them, and, though listening intently, heard 
no sound. With the soft tread of a cat they 
passed from crag to crag, keeping in the 
shade of bushes or trees as much as possible. 
Occasionally for a moment or so Ahimelech 
could see them passing over the face of some 
exposed part of the cliff, then beneath the 
bushes they would again disappear. In a 
short time they reached a point where they 
could see the entire order of the camp. 
Saul lay sleeping in the midst of his follow- 
ers, his spear, as usual, stuck in the ground 
by his pillow. By his side was Abner, and 
in regular order about them were the three 
thousand. Their day’s march had been a 
weary one, and the whole camp was wrapped 
in slumber. 

‘‘Abishai gazed with delight upon the 


SA UnS LAST MEETING WITH DA VID. 265 

scene. Now revenge could be obtained ; one 
stroke, and the persecution of his chief would 
be ended and David could be made king. 
With a voice heard only by the ear into 
which the words were spoken he said to 
David, ‘ God hath shut up thine enemy into 
thine hand this day : now therefore let me 
smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even 
to the earth at once, and I will not smite 
him the second time.’ 

This was far from David’s thought. 
He trusted that in his own time the Lord 
would bring the right to prevail and all 
would be well ; so that he replied to the ar- 
dent Abishai, ‘ Destroy him not : for who 
can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s 
anointed, and be guiltless ? As the Lord 
liveth, the Lord shall smite him, or his day 
shall come to die : or he shall descend into 
battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I 
should stretch forth mine hand against the 
Lord’s anointed : but, I pray thee, take thou 
now the spear that is at his bolster, and the 
cruse of water, and let us go.’ 

“ As the pale light of the moon cast its 
radiance over the scene, noiselessly, adroitly. 


266 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


quickly, the spies passed through the line of 
guards close to the sleeping Abner, and 
then, one taking the cruse of water and the 
other the spear, they passed out of the camp 
and into the ravine below it in the opposite 
direction from their own camp. In a little 
while they ascended a lofty cliff several 
hundred feet above SauFs camp and a long 
distance off, from which with a loud shout 
David announced his presence. 

“There was utter silence in the valley. 
The night-air was crisp and keen ; the loud, 
strong voice of the warrior was carried an 
immense distance, for he was used to shout- 
ing from cliffs. In his boyhood, when sheep 
strayed away and he called to them, they 
knew his voice, even though afar off, and 
they followed it until they were safe again 
with the flock. David shouted, ‘ Abner, 
answerest thou not ? Ho ! Abner, thou son 
of Ner!’ 

“Abner, aroused, leaped up, but saw no 
one except his own host. Saul too was 
aroused, and the camp was astir; for who 
would dare disturb them at this hour? 

“Abner now raises a shout, while all 


SAUnS LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 267 

listen in silence : ‘ Who art thou that criest 
to the king ?’ 

‘‘ David replied, and as he did so the host 
saw him standing on the distant cliff: ‘Art 
not thou a valiant man ? and who is like to 
thee in Israel ? Wherefore then hast thou 
not kept thy lord the king ? for there came 
one of the people in to destroy the king thy 
lord. This thing is not good that thou hast 
done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to 
die, because ye have not kept your master, 
the Lord’s anointed. And now see where 
the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water 
that was at his bolster.’ 

“As David said this he held up before 
them all the cruse and the spear. Abner 
hastily glanced at the spot where the king 
had been sleeping, and saw that they had 
been taken, and shame held him back from 
reply. Saul, too, hearing the words of 
David, trembled as he realized how he 
would have been put to death if David had 
desired his life, and in the same moment he 
recalled the scene before the cave near En- 
gedi. His heart was touched, and, crying out, 
he said, ‘ Is this thy voice, my son David ?’ 


268 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


‘‘David answered, ‘It is my voice, my 
lord, O king. Wherefore doth my lord 
thus pursue after his servant ? for what have 
I done? or what evil is in mine hand? 
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the 
king hear the words of his servant. If the 
Lord hath stirred thee up against me, let 
him accept an offering: but if they be the 
children of men, cursed be they before the 
Lord ; for they have driven me out this day 
from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, 
saying. Go, serve other gods. Now there- 
fore let not my blood fall to the earth before 
the face of the Lord : for the king of Israel 
is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth 
hunt a partridge in the mountains.’ 

“To this address the entire host of the 
king listened, and thus all were able to see 
that David had been misrepresented and 
that he was not seeking the life of the king. 
Abner had no courage to say anything, 
for he had slept while danger was near his 
king. 

“ The better nature of the king was again 
aroused, and in the presence of his entire 
bodyguard, his select soldiers, he said with a 


SAUnS LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 269 

loud voice in reply to David, ‘I have sinned: 
return, my son David: for I will no more 
do thee harm, because my soul was precious 
in thine eyes this day : behold, I have 
played the fool, and have erred exceed- 
ingly.’ 

The king, confessing his humiliation be- 
fore all, gazed upon the ground and wept 
tears of bitter remorse and self-reproach. 

David held over his head the king’s 
spear, which caught the glistening rays of 
the sun, now rising over the hills of Moab, 
casting beams of light upon the warrior 
as he stood on the cliff, while the valley 
beneath was still shaded by the hills from 
the ruddy rays. He said, ‘ Behold the 
king’s spear! and let one of the young 
men come over and fetch it. The Lord 
render to every man his righteousness and 
his faithfulness : for the Lord delivered thee 
into my hand to-day, but I would not 
stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s 
anointed. And, behold, as thy life was 
much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my 
life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, 
and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.’ 


270 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


“ With a voice of kindness and affection 
Saul answered, as he sent one of his young 
men for his spear and water- vessel, ‘ Blessed 
be thou, my son David : thou shalt both do 
great things, and also shalt still prevail/ 
Then, turning to Abner, he commanded him 
to order the call for the march, and as soon 
as his spear was restored the three thousand 
began their return march to Gibeah, while 
David and Abishai went to their camp in 
the forest. 

‘‘ This was the last time Saul and David 
ever saw each other. They parted in peace ; 
the last words of the king were words of 
blessing. Each went to his own place to 
await the further will of the Lord concern- 
ing him.” 

Barachel was now silent for a while, and 
the young men did not disturb him, for they 
saw he was thinking deeply ; but at length 
he looked upon them and said, 

“ How touching are these last words of the 
king to David : ‘ I have played the fool ex- 
ceedingly ’ ! What stirring of his heart there 
must have been to enable him to utter them 
in the presence of his soldiers ! It is hard 


SAUnS LAST MEETING WITH DAVID. 271 

for a man to confess his sinfulness or his fool- 
ishness before his companions or his depend- 
ants, and yet this is what Saul did. It was 
only momentary, however ; his good resolu- 
tions lasted only a short time, and David was 
too wise to trust them to stand the brunt 
of time. But see ! the people are gathering 
before the king’s palace. Surely something 
unusual is going on. Let us go down, and 
to-morrow we will return, and I will relate 
to you the closing scenes in this tragedy of 
King Saul and David.” 


CHAPTEK XXI. 

THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 

B y the time our friends had reached the 
open space in front of the king’s palace 
the object of the curiosity of the people had 
disappeared from sight, but one of those 
standing near informed the young men that 
royal couriers had arrived from various parts 
of the kingdom bringing to the king the news 
that several distinguished ambassadors were 
nearing Jerusalem and would probably arrive 
in two days, and that the king had given com- 
mand to his servants to see that when the 
envoys came they should be received with 
due honor and be entertained in the king’s 
palace. The king had also sent word to 
Barachel that he desired his attendance at 
court after the arrival of these ambassadors 
to relate to them the story of the growth of 
Jerusalem, for it had been told the king that 

272 


THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 


273 


Baracliel was daily instructing these young 
men by means of such a narrative. 

When on the following day the young 
men arrived at their chosen station, Barachel 
thanked them for the promptness of their com- 
ing and expressed his appreciation of their 
desire for information. He also announced 
that this would be his last day spent in in- 
structing them. He then continued : 

‘‘ The time spent by David and his band 
in the forest of Judah had been well em- 
ployed in securing the favor and the friend- 
ship of the cities in all that section. David’s 
fame as the slayer of Goliath had preceded 
his coming amongst them, and the women of 
that country, as well as those in the north- 
ern part of the land, had danced and sung 
to his honor. As one of the sons of Judah 
he also held a claim to their favor, for the 
tribal sentiment was strong, and the glory of 
one member was the glory of them all. He 
was their brother, and naturally every house 
would be open to him and every heart ready 
to receive him. As the proteg^ of Samuel, 
the prince of judges, the seer and the proph- 
et, he would also be well received by the 
18 


274 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


elders, wlio would thus honor him as one 
favored of the Lord, though it was their 
voice that had stirred up the desire for a 
king because of the oppression of the sons 
of Samuel in Beersheba, to which place they 
had resorted for judgment. 

“ When David came with his band of six 
hundred, he was as a wall warding olf the 
enemies who before that had continually op- 
pressed the people by their raids and cruel 
exactions. Now, however, for fear of David, 
they remained in the desert or turned their 
arms in other directions, while the Jerah- 
meelites, the descendants of the eldest son of 
Judah, the Kenites, the descendants of Ra- 
guel the brother-in-law of Moses, and the 
dwellers in the priestly cities of Judah, with 
those in the smaller towns, openly expressed 
their favor to David and received him and 
his soldiers into their feasts and sports. 

Gradually David’s army began to assume 
the features of a tribe. His men who had fam- 
ilies sent for them to live with them in the 
forest-camp, while others, following the ex- 
ample of their chief, made love to the maid- 
ens in the cities near them, and found these 


THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 


275 


same maidens not averse to linking their lives 
with those who served so noble a chieftain. 
Thus the warriors became allied to these 
towns, and as they did so their mutual regard 
increased and prosperity shone upon them. 
The Ziphites alone proved to be traitors ; 
they accepted no fraternal overtures, they 
could not be reconciled to seeing this large 
force dwelling in their forests, and, though 
twice defeated in their plottings for the ruin 
of David’s cause, they still continued their 
effort to win the favor of Saul by their de- 
famations of David’s character. 

‘‘ After this last escape from Saul by prov- 
ing that he had no designs against his life 
David might have hoped for a period of 
peace, but, alas ! such could not continue, 
and the frowns of the monarch grew darker 
and darker as he heard of the favor with 
which David was received in the priestly 
cities of Judah, in the cities and extensive 
vineyards of the Jerahmeelites and in the 
tents and broad pastures of the Kenites. 
David could hot forget the fate of Nob, nor 
the effort of Saul against the house of Sam- 
uel and the prophets at Naioth ; in the same 


276 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


manner his fury might alight on some or all 
of those cities in which he had found friends 
and sympathizers. As he thought of their 
danger he decided that on his account these 
friends should not suffer; rather, he would 
take himself out of Judah and among the 
enemies of Israel await the time when the 
Lord should say, ‘ Return.’ 

“ David sent an embassy to Achish, the 
king of Gath — not to request shelter in his 
city, but with the intention of allying him- 
self with him and devoting to his service 
his own life and the lives of his brave fol- 
lowers. If Saul did not appreciate the 
value of David as a supporter, Achish did, 
for the man who so fearlessly slew his cham- 
pion, the one who knew no equal in all the 
hosts of the Philistines, must be a man to 
honor, and soldiers should lay aside the 
claim of blood-revenge for those slain in 
battle to move forward in a hand-to-hand 
conquest of mutual foes. 

“ Gath was a great city, and, being the 
nearest of the large Philistine cities to the 
mountains of Judah, was a kind of a watch- 
tower to the cities of the plain. Its king 


THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 


277 


was inferior to none ; its soldiers were of the 
best quality ; its giants were the proudest in 
the land; its armory was stocked with the 
best of the swords, spears, bows and shields ; 
its fairs were thrown open even to the ene- 
mies on the mountains who chose to come 
down to them ; its fields* in harvest-time 
were reaped by the hired reapers who with 
their families came out of Judah in times 
of peace to earn some of the Philistine gold; 
and thus, while the most warlike of all the 
cities of the Philistines, its people were the 
best acquainted with the life and the habits 
of the children of Judah, and the best able 
to understand and to appreciate such a 
warrior as David. 

‘‘ David’s ambassadors found a welcome at 
the court of the Philistine king, who accept- 
ed their presents and sent a formal invita- 
tion to David to come and dwell beneath his 
protection. David accepted the invitation, 
broke up his camp in the forests by the 
cliffs of the wilderness, and, bidding fare- 
well to his numerous friends in the cities of 
Judah, with his men, their wives and their 
little ones passed over the mountains and 


278 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


came to the proud city which worshiped 
Dagon as its god. The news was soon 
carried to King Saul, who, now seeing the 
uselessness of further hostile attempts, left 
off harassing David and attended to the 
proper defences of his kingdom. 

A residence within the walls of a city 
little suited the habits of such a following 
as David’s. It was pleasant enough for a 
resting-season, but the gayety of city life, 
the constant attention to matters of dress 
and the persistent curiosity of the Philis- 
tines toward them soon became wearisome, 
and, besides, David saw that he was a bur- 
den upon the treasury of the kind king for 
which he was not able to render a return. 
Moreover, in the city of Gath on every 
hand were erected the symbols of Philistine 
faith — a faith so offensive to the children of 
Israel that they could not look upon it with- 
out anger, while their worship of Jehovah 
seemed to the Philistines to be as a defiance 
of the tutelary deities of their fathers as 
well as of their city. Thus, in the very 
nature of the case, a cordial union of the 
Israelites with the Philistines was an im- 


THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 


279 


possibility. David therefore asked to be 
assigned to some one of the small towns 
belonging to Gath, but so near the royal 
city that he could communicate with it 
daily if need be. 

In the course of their wars the kings of 
Gath had taken from Judah the walled town 
of Ziklag, south-east of Gath, on the border 
of the territory of the ancient desert-in- 
habitants. This city was given David, 
who removed his band to it and therein 
took up his abode. This was pleasing to 
all, for it was just the kind of place to 
delight them, and it offered them abundant 
opportunity to enjoy their taste for conflicts 
with their hereditary foes. It was also near 
David’s friends. On the east were the vine- 
yards of the Jerahmeelites and the pastures 
of the Kenites, while on the south and the 
west were the warlike children of Amalek, 
their hereditary foes. 

‘‘ David’s withdrawal from the forests of 
Judah had left that rich country exposed to 
the raids of the desert-hordes, who were not 
slow to take advantage of it; but when 
David came to Ziklag, he hastened once 


280 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


more to protect his friends and deal out a 
terrible punishment to their foes. With his 
six hundred men he invaded the lands of 
the Geshurites, Gezrites and Amalekites, and 
with all the ferocity of a blood-avenger fell 
upon them, and ceased not the battle until 
there was not a foe left to face him ; then, 
gathering their sheep, oxen, asses, camels 
and clothing, he returned with the spoils to 
his city, and from there went up to visit 
Achish in Gath. 

‘‘ The king had been informed that David 
was raiding the south country, but David 
had made certain that no witness should 
leave the battle to appear against him at 
Gath ; and when the king asked him, 
‘Whither have ye made a road to-day?’ 
David did not tell the king of the peo- 
ple he fought, but only of the section of 
country in which he had fought ; so he 
answered, ‘Against the south of Judah, 
and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, 
and against the south of the Kenites.’ 

“Achish unsuspectingly wrongly applied 
these words, and, supposing David had at- 
tacked Judah instead of Judah’s invaders, 


THE IMPENDING CRISIS. 


281 


said, ‘ He hath made his people Israel utterly 
to abhor him ; therefore he shall be my serv- 
ant for ever.’ 

“ While David was dwelling in Ziklag, 
visiting the court of Achish, protecting the 
south border of Judah and menacing the 
hordes dwelling in the desert toward Egypt, 
the greatest excitement spread through the 
land, caused by the Philistines preparing for 
another attempt to regain the power which 
they had lost over the mountains of Israel. 

There were many reasons for this. From 
the advent of the Israelites, several hundred 
years before, there had been constant war 
between them, until war became hereditary — 
a legacy which the fathers left to their chil- 
dren. Thus as long as either party remained 
free from the control of the other there could 
be no peace in the land, but endless conflict 
and insecurity, for neither would submit if 
able to battle. When one party was defeated, 
that party recalled the victories of the past 
and determined to try again until all that 
was lost should be regained. It was also a 
war for commercial superiority, for the great 
caravans from the East and the South passed 


282 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


through both lands, and both drew their tolls, 
the Israelites first from those coming from 
the East, and the Philistines first from those 
coming from the South, and each party de- 
sired to receive the entire advantage of these 
commercial trains. 

It was a war of types of civilization. 
The Philistines dwelt in large cities, in ex- 
tensive and fertile plains, in communication 
with the nations of the South, the North and 
the isles of the sea. They had cultivated 
social habits, schools and all the advantages 
of great masses of people such as only cities 
could furnish or appreciate, while the Israel- 
ites lived in small towns or insignificant 
hamlets, in vineyards, olive-yards, upon 
mountain-slopes, in caves, forests, ravines, 
and came together only in great national 
gatherings. They had no palaces, no strong 
dwellings, no temples ; no arts were cultivat- 
ed, and no sciences were known. Compared 
with the Philistines, they were rude and 
barbarous, and fanatical in their adherence 
to their religion. Yet they were brave peo- 
ple, strong in battle, and with a degree of 
courage which made them more than equal 


THE IMPENDING CPISIS. 


283 


to the more numerous armies of the Philis- 
tines. Their civilization had the rugged 
steadfastness of their hills, and, with strong- 
er natures than the Philistines possessed, gave 
promise of greater future development. 

“ It was also a war of religions, for the 
Israelites worshiped Jehovah, the Lord of 
heaven, earth and sea, while the Philistines 
had different deities for different cities and 
looked upon Jehovah only as the Lord of 
the hills. In all their battles their religion 
was brought in. The sons of Eli took the 
ark of the covenant into the battle ; and 
when the Philistines captured it, they thought 
they had captured the God of Israel. When 
David went forth against Goliath, it was in 
the name of the Lord Jehovah, and in that 
name he conquered. Thus, Israel and Phi- 
listia were vitally antagonistic. No amount 
of concession could give them a fraternal 
spirit. 

‘‘ The dissensions in Israel were favorable 
to the Philistine designs ; the king’s hatred 
of David severed David’s followers from the 
defence of the king, and, moreover, while 
the king was watching David he could not 


284 FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 

be watching them, and they were rapidly 
pushing forward their plans, so as to surprise 
and overwhelm the stern old monarch. Thus 
while David dwelt in Ziklag the mustering 
of the armies continued, and in King SauFs 
royal court the gloom grew thicker and thick- 
er as one spy after another brought to the 
troubled king the story of the enthusiasm of 
the foe. With the usual forgetfulness of the 
true state of David’s heart toward him, and 
filled with forebodings because of the plain 
indications that he was growing in strength, 
Saul felt as if David was an enemy in his rear. 
He had no one to whom he could turn for 
counsel whom he felt superior to himself. 
The priests he had slain, Samuel was dead, 
and all who pretended to be familiar with 
spirits were by his own royal command put 
to death. Thus he was alone in his trouble, 
and he felt the entire weight of the perils 
of the times upon his own drooping shoul- 
ders. But he still commanded a courageous 
people, and he was honored by them as their 
king. He was brave, skillful and energetic, 
and, in obedience to his call, the sons of Is- 
rael gathered from all the tribes, from every 


THE IMPENDING CEISIS. 285 

home, stirred by a national pride, and with 
merry hearts and confident hopes asked to 
be led against the haughty foe. 

Partly infiuenced by the movements of 
the Philistines, Saul led his army away 
from the royal city, beyond the fruitful 
vale of Jezreel, upon the slopes of Mount 
Gilboa, and there sat down to await the foe. 
When from his lofty station he saw the 
Philistines approaching in Shunem, and 
marked the size and the order of their array, 
his heart sank within him ; he was afraid. 
Dejection was marked upon his brow, and 
in the terror of the feeling of fear he lis- 
tened to the weird voice of superstition, and 
in the darkness of the night sought the 
presence of one of those who had familiar 
spirits, a class he had in his more rational 
moments condemned to death. 

‘‘The soldiers recruited from the cities 
were fond of display ; to them the beauty 
of their parade was almost as much to be 
desired as the humiliation of their foes, and 
in the Philistine cities there was everything 
to contribute to the splendor of their adorn- 
ment. The Philistian plain was wonderfully 


286 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


productive, and the harvests came so regu- 
larly that every year beheld a more fruitful 
accumulation of wealth. Into their cities 
the traffic of the world poured its wonders 
in exchange for their products, and the 
sound of the anvil and the loom was heard 
in their streets. The caravans brought them 
the choicest productions of the ends of the 
earth, while the ships that entered their 
ports brought them the riches of the isles 
and the coasts of the seas. Their broad, 
level plains were excellent training-grounds, 
and their young men were early trained 
skillfully to wield the weapons of war. 

“ Now all was ready. Each city furnished 
its contingent, and on the highway of car- 
avan-travel they gathered to move against 
their old enemy Israel. They marched in 
companies of hundreds and thousands ; dis- 
cipline and order marked their array. 

Saul could see the flashing of thousands 
of swords as, in obedience to the commands 
of their captains, the soldiers went through 
their military tactics. There were battalions 
of horsemen with powerful horses from 
Egypt — a strange sight to the Israelites, 


THE IMPENDINO CRISIS. 


287 


who on their hills and narrow highways knew 
not the use of such swift and huge animals. 
How grand, how powerful, they looked in 
the battle, snuffing the conflict from afar ! 
There were troops of desert-rangers on camels, 
moving along with easy motion. There were 
also companies of giants clothed in polished 
armor of helmets, coats-of-mail, and with 
javelins slung over their shoulders, in their 
hands carrying immense spears and shields, 
with loud voices shouting their songs of de- 
fiance and their praises to their gods. Besides 
these were the flower of Philistine chivalry 
with splendid armor dazzling the eye — men 
of bravery, of skill, of experience in arms, 
who could battle in companies or singly, 
man ao;ainst man. There were thousands 
upon thousands of them, all ready for the 
battle. Far as Saul’s eye could reach the 
line of warriors extended as they came for- 
ward to seek him in battle. This was the 
sight which filled his soul with the ap- 
prehension of defeat and the terror of des- 
pair.” 


CHAPTER XXII. 


DEATH OF KING SAUL, 


“ S the Philistines advanced the rear- 



guard of the army was defended by 
the young king of Gath with his tried sol- 
diers. They were accustomed to surprises, 
to ambuscades, and to all the arts of war 
for overtaking the stragglers when the 
warriors had passed by. With Achish were 
David and his valiant band — soldiers of Israel 
marching under Philistian orders and ac- 
cording to Philistian martial drill. 

The lords of the Philistines were not 
pleased with this union between the king of 
Gath and the powerful Israelite, and as 
they marched strange news was brought to 
them by their watchful spies. David’s force 
did not seem like that of a refugee; there 
were too many powerful men — men of cour- 
age and ability — in his ranks to be looked 
down upon by any foe. These same Philis- 


288 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


289 


tine lords knew how steadfast the Israelites 
were to their religion, and they had no con- 
fidence in the assertion of Achish that Da- 
vid had for ever separated himself from 
Israel. They knew that the common rumor 
of the land was that before his death the 
prophet Samuel had anointed David to be 
king after Saul, and that the truth of this 
rumor had aroused the anger of Saul until 
he compelled David to leave his country. 
More than this, since hostilities began David 
had been in communication with i^rominent 
warriors of Israel, and there had come to 
him many of the noted chiefs of Benjamin, 
some of them from the royal city of Saul, 
who were known as mighty men of war 
because of their prowess in slaying Philis- 
tines, who gave themselves to David to help 
him while he was yet in Ziklag. They 
were armed with bows, and could use their 
left hand equally as well as their right in 
hurling stones and in shooting arrows from 
the bow. Surely it was not reasonable to 
suppose that in battle against their own 
people they would be true friends to the 
Philistines, against whom they had inherited 

19 


290 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


a hatred, and whom from early infancy 
they had been taught to curse. More- 
over, while they were marching toward the 
battlefield it was observed that they had no 
sooner entered the borders of Manasseh than 
certain prominent chiefs of that tribe were 
seen in David’s camp ; these were warmly 
welcomed and held long and secret coun- 
sels with David. The watchmen of David’s 
camp were careful that no one except those 
most intimate with their chief could ap- 
proach while that conference was being 
held, and when it was over these follow- 
ers of Saul from the tribe of Manasseh 
entered into David’s ranks as his followers, 
thus proving the union of heart still existing 
between David and Israel, and that in battle 
it was altogether likely David and Israel 
would unite, and, surrounding the Philis- 
tines, work havoc amongst them. 

Thus thinking, the lords of the Philis- 
tines called a council of war, to which were 
summoned all their kings and commanders. 
And as, on a rising ground, with all their 
army before them, they sat in council, one 
of the oldest and most powerful of the lords 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


291 


arose, and, pointing toward the tents of 
David and his followers, in tones of deep 
indignation asked, ‘ What do these Hebrews 
here ?’ 

“For a moment silence fell on the group, 
and as the eyes of all were turned toward 
Achish he blushed with a consciousness that 
he was expected to answer for what was 
considered a wrong deed toward the Philis- 
tian cause. Then, rising, he looked the 
aged chief in the eyes and said, ‘Is not this 
David, the servant of Saul the king of 
Israel, which hath been with me these days, 
or these years, and I have found no hiult in 
him since he fell unto me unto this day T 

“ The bold answer of Achish only an- 
gered the lords of the Philistines. No 
doubt they des23ised the lack of experience 
and the trustful nature of the young king 
of Gath. The old king whom Goliath 
served would not have been so easily de- 
luded, though even he had let David slip 
out of his fingers while playing the mad- 
man, but the young king seemed to forget 
how the blood of the slaughtered giant of 
his own city called for vengeance, and the 


292 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


aged lord who did not forget and had called 
Achish to account now proceeded with his 
charge, while the other lords endorsed it and 
emphasized it by their shouts of approval. 
He said, ‘ Make this fellow return, that he 
may go again to his place which thou hast 
appointed him, and let him not go down 
with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an 
adversary to us : for wherewith should he 
reconcile himself unto his master ? should it 
not be with the heads of these men ? Is not 
this David, of whom they sang one to an- 
other in dances, saying, Saul slew his thou- 
sands, and David his ten thousands ?’ 

“ The council now ended, and the lords 
of the Philistines went to their separate 
quarters. 

‘‘Achish was grieved at the result; yet, pow- 
erful though he was, he did not dare oppose 
the united voice of the many lords of the 
host. He had b en influenced by the mag- 
netism of David’s nature ; he found in him 
a thoroughly congenial companion, but the 
decree was issued, and the last fling in it was 
putting him in remembrance that the wailing 
of the widows and the orphans in Gath was 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


293 


caused by the stroke that led the maidens 
and the mothers in Israel to sing of the 
prowess of David. 

‘‘ Then Achish called David and said unto 
him, ‘ Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast 
been upright, and thy going out and thy 
coming in with me in the host is good in 
my sight : for I have not found evil in thee 
since the day of thy coming unto me unto 
this day : nevertheless the lords favor thee 
not. Wherefore now return, and go in 
peace, that thou displease not the lords of 
the Philistines.’ 

David was moved by the tenderness with 
which Achish personally delivered this com- 
mand to him, and yet he was not conscious 
of any violation of trust and saw not the 
reason why the lords of the Philistines 
should thus insult him and brand him as a 
traitor in a very thin disguise, and he replied 
to Achish, ‘But what have I done? and 
what hast thou found in thy servant so long 
as I have been with thee unto this day, that 
I may not go and fight against the enemies 
of my lord the king?’ 

“ With appreciative tenderness Achish 


294 FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 

said, ‘ I know that thou art good in my sight, 
as an angel of God : notwithstanding, the 
princes of the Philistines have said. He shall 
not go up with us to the battle. Wherefore 
now rise up early in the morning with thy 
master’s servants that are come with thee ; 
and as soon as ye be up early in the morn- 
ing, and have light, depart.’ 

“ King Achish then took his leave of Da- 
vid and returned to his part of the camp, 
while David, sounding his trumpet, called 
his chiefs together, informed them of the 
'Command of the Philistine lords and ordered 
them to have all in readiness for moving by 
the morning’s light. 

As the rays from the sun began to gild 
the beautiful valley the lords of the Philis- 
tines saw David with his followers departing 
toward the south ; then they sounded their 
trumpets, and the entire Philistine host, in 
orderly military array — company after com- 
pany, camels, horses, chariots, footmen, arch- 
ers, swordsmen and spearmen — advanced to- 
ward Jezreel to begin the battle for the final 
destruction, root and branch, of the Israel- 
ites. 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


295 


‘‘ The camp of the Philistines was at Shu- 
nem, only about ten miles from that of the 
Israelites, who were encamped at the foun- 
tain of Jezreel. The forces of Israel were 
drawn up in battle-array on Mount Gilboa, 
a ridge which rises out of the plain of Es- 
draelon and, running eastward, sinks down 
into the valley of the Jordan. The highest 
point of this hill is about five or six hun- 
dred feet above the plain. From this point 
Saul had a good view of the Philistine camp, 
and could count the divisions of their army 
and the number of standards arrayed against 
him. 

After David had departed the forces of 
the Philistines were put in motion, and they 
came to the more northern, but parallel, 
ridge, opposite to Jezreel, from which they 
could not be surprised by any movement 
of the wary Israelites, and their lords could 
observe the battle in its progress. 

The onset of the Philistines was terrific. 
They were completely prepared for the bat- 
tle. Their armament was of the best ma- 
terial ; their soldiers were thoroughly trained ; 
with them the art of fighting had been stud- 


296 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


ied as a science since that fatal day in which 
Goliath had been slain. 

‘‘ Israel, as usual, was encamped upon the 
hill, and there received the attack of the foe. 
Saul was desperate. He knew that he must 
die ; he knew that the brave men about him 
would die with him. As he gazed upon the 
host of the Philistines not one ray of hope 
lit up the gloom of his mind. But he was a 
soldier and would die valiantly, as a king, in 
the last defence of his j^eople, and perhaps 
the maidens of his reconstructed kingdom 
would sing how an aged hero in defence of 
his country met his death fearless and defi- 
ant. His sons were by his side ; his faithful 
bodyguard was before him. His trusting 
soldiers, who never yet had known defeat 
under his leading, with flashing eyes and 
bold shouts were expecting victory. For 
forty years Saul had led them on. Old men 
rejoiced in their king, who in the days of 
their youth had led them to glory, and the 
young men of Israel, incapable of measuring 
the strength of the foe, already looked upon 
the camp and the armor of the Philistines as 
their own. 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


297 


‘‘ The king knew that all these hopes were 
delusive — that it was decreed by the Lord 
of battles that this day Israel should fall be- 
fore the idolatrous foe, and, more than this, 
the king knew that it was because of his sin 
against Jehovah their Lord. The time for 
reflection was past ; the time for action had 
come. He caught somewhat of the enthusi- 
asm of his brave men, and he led them 
against the foe. What valor was then exhib- 
ited by all ! The steady trained forces of the 
Philistines broke not at the attack of Israel, 
but back step by step they forced them, cov- 
ering the ground with the slain. The youths 
now learned what battle meant, and they 
were not equal to the trial. As they saw 
the unbroken ranks of the Philistines tread- 
ing upon the slain bodies of their brothers, 
and saw that they were being pushed harder 
and harder by the steadily-advancing char- 
iots, they broke ranks and fled. Onward 
pressed the Philistines until they met a wall 
of brave, desperate men who caused them to 
halt and battle for every inch of advance. 

Saul and his sons, his nephews, courtiers, 
servants and bodyguard, stood in a solid 


298 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


mass, every man with bold heart and strong 
hand. But what could they do against so 
many? As the battle advanced Saul saw 
his beloved son Jonathan fall beneath the 
stroke of the Philistines. Fiercer grew the 
conflict ; then his son Abinadab fell, but the 
battle went on. Then Melchi-shua fell, but 
the bodyguard still resisted the foe. 

The Philistine archers, in the rear of 
the front line, now concentrated their attack 
on the king, whose huge form was plainly 
distinguishable from that of his soldiers. 
At length an arrow winged by one of the 
archers struck him. It pierced his body, 
and, faint with the loss of blood, the king 
perceived the hour of death at hand. But 
his true-hearted veteran bodyguard pressed 
between him and the foe and fought on. 

Saul called to his side his faithful armor- 
bearer and said to him, ‘ Draw thy sword, 
and thrust me through therewith, lest these 
uncircumcised come and thrust me through 
and abuse me.' 

‘‘The armor-bearer would not. He was 
seized with consternation ; he knew not the 
duty he owed his king in that hour. 


DEATH OF KING SAUL. 


299 


“ Saul took a sword, and, placing the liilt 
on the ground, with the point to his breast, 
fell upon it, but even this did not end his 
life. Then, gazing about him, he saw an 
Amalekite, and to him he said, ‘ Stand, 
I pray thee, upon me, and slay me, for my 
coat of mail hath hindered me, that my 
life is yet whole in me;’ and the Amalek- 
ite, taking his sword, with one stroke 23ut 
the king to death, then, taking his crown 
and bracelet, hid them in his clothing until 
he could escape from the battle. 

‘‘ When the faithful armor-bearer saw that 
his king was indeed dead, he fell upon his 
own sword and died with him. 

When the guards who had not been 
slain knew that their king was dead, they 
turned and fled. The armies of Israel were 
entirely defeated, and the Israelites fled out 
of their towns and villages, while with 
shoutings of victory the Philistines entered 
in and possessed them, and rejoiced over the 
fall of their foe.” 


CHAPTER XXIII. 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 

“ Tiy^HEN David left the camp of the Phil- 
» » istines, he proceeded at once in a 
direct course to Ziklag, there to await the 
result of the battle between the Philistines 
and the Israelites. After three days’ march- 
ing they drew near to Ziklag, but what a 
sight met their wondering eyes ! All was 
ruin and desolation. The city had been 
burnt with fire, and their families had so 
completely disappeared that not a soul await- 
ed them to tell who had done this or whither 
they had gone. The loss of his wives and 
his babes filled David with anguish, while 
the men of his army were equally distressed 
at the loss of their loved ones. Weeping, 
wailing, cursing, and the heaping of mal- 
edictions upon the foe were heard from 
every one. David’s distress was increased 

300 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


301 


because some of the wicked adventurers in 
his troop began to incite the others against 
him, talking of stoning him, saying that if 
he had not gone with Achish the Philistine 
toward Esdraelon this could not have hap- 
pened. 

The loss of David’s wives was enough to 
grieve his heart most deeply ; but when to 
this were added the rebellion of his soldiers 
and the consciousness that his followers were 
disposed to heap upon his head the present 
calamity, memory recalled the slaughter of 
the priests on his account, and he felt an- 
guish such as at once stirred his soul to its 
depths and led him away from his own self- 
confidence to look to God. If his God did 
not render relief, he would perish beneath 
the blow; but the act of supplication gave 
him renewed strength and courage. Assem- 
bling his men, he gave them words of hope, 
and then called before them Abiathar, the 
high priest, that he might inquire the will 
of the Lord. 

^‘This solemn ceremonial had been wit- 
nessed by David’s followers when the ques- 
tion was before him as to the people of 


302 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Keilah, and the guardiansliip and guidance 
of the Lord at that time were made plain 
to all. No obstinacy or threats of rebellion 
on the part of his followers could prevail 
when David showed them he was acting ac- 
cording to the revealed will of the Lord, made 
known by the ancient Urim and Thummim. 

‘‘David was not an ordinary commander, nor 
did he hold his position by his own strength 
of intellect or of will, but by the authori- 
ty of the God of the Israelites, and now he 
calmed and soothed the grief and despair of 
his followers by invoking the aid and guid- 
ance of the Lord. To his question, ‘ Shall 
I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake 
them ?’ the answer came sharply and point- 
edly : ‘ Pursue, for thou shalt surely over- 
take them, and without fail recover all.’ 

“ As soon as the word was given the 
whole body was in motion, although the men 
were fatigued with their long march from 
Esdraelon and the consequent excitement. 
By the time they reached the brook Besor 
two hundred of them were so exhausted 
that they could go no farther, and were left 
to recover their spent energies. 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


303 


“ The vigor of David’s character was fully- 
displayed in this rapid march. To recover 
their families or to avenge them if slain 
was the determination that filled all minds, 
and with the four hundred who still had 
strength to pursue David pressed onward. 
As they marched they saw in a field by 
the highway an exhausted Egyptian, whom 
they brought into the j^resence of their 
chief. His look was that of a famished and 
fever-stricken sufferer. They gave him 
bread, which he ate ravenously, and they 
refreshed him with water; they gave him 
figs and clusters of raisins, for he had eaten 
no bread nor drunk any water for three days 
and three nights; but when he had eaten, 
his strength came back to him and he was 
able to answer the questions which were put 
to him. 

‘‘ David closely watched the Egyptian as 
he partook of his food ; and when he had re- 
vived, he asked him, ‘ To whom belongest 
thou ? and whence art thou ?’ 

The man answered, ' I am a young man 
of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my 
master left me, because three days agone I fell 


304 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


sick. We made an invasion upon the south 
of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which 
belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of 
Caleb ; and we burned Ziklag with fire.’ 

This indeed was news. The withdrawal 
of the Philistines left the Cherethites open 
to invasion, the withdrawal of Saul left the 
coasts of Judah unprotected and the with- 
drawal of David exposed the south of Caleb, 
Carmel, Maon and the territories adjacent, 
as also Ziklag, David’s home. Only a large 
force could make so extensive an invasion, 
touching the entire south of the land. It 
must also be the friends of those Amalekites 
whom David had slain in revenge for his 
deeds upon them, who had now burned his 
home with fire. 

David said to the man, ‘ Canst thou bring 
me down to their company ?’ 

‘‘ The Egyptian had no love for his Amal- 
ekite master, who had left him to die, but he 
well knew that if he assisted David, and his 
master should ever catch him, he would be 
barbarously tortured to death. He answered 
David by saying, ‘ Swear unto me by God, 
that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


305 


me into the hands of my master, and I will 
bring thee down to this country/ 

David was stirred with pity for the poor 
abject slave before him, who with the pros- 
pect of life became eagerly desirous of life, 
so that he willingly granted his desire. 

‘‘ The country into which the Amalekites 
had fled had been familiar ground to the 
progenitors of the Israelites. Abraham 
dwelt here ; Ishmael was reared in this part 
of the land ; iiere Isaac disputed with Abime- 
lech concerning the wells ; here the Israelites 
under Moses moved from place to place for 
thirty-eight years. It was not a settled 
country, but a vast roaming-ground for those 
who dwelt in tents, and who went from one 
spot to another according to the condition of 
the pasture or the plentifulness of the water. 
The uneven ground was broken by hills and 
wadies, and the growth above the thick, tall 
grass was mostly composed of low aromatic 
shrubs, with clusters of trees by the foun- 
tains. 

“In one of the wadies of this great pas- 
ture-field the Amalekites were encamped. 
They did not think danger could be near, 
20 


306 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


for they imagined all the forces that could 
come against them were far toward the 
north, in Israel, and that it would be many 
days before they should be sought after, and 
by that time they would be in Egypt, where 
they could sell their prisoners as slaves. 
They had spared the lives of the captives, 
for to take the life of any of the women or the 
children would be depriving themselves of 
so much slave-value in booty. 

‘‘David and his soldiers, stripped of all 
baggage, carrying only their weapons, crept 
silently to the brow of the shrub-crowned 
hill and gazed upon the scene below them. 
There were hundreds of the Amalekites; 
far more numerous were they than David’s 
band. Without thought of danger, spread 
abroad in the valley around their camp-fires, 
they were feasting, dancing, and singing 
songs of triumph over their enemies. In 
the midst of the camp were the prisoners 
they had taken. The twilight aided David 
in arranging his soldiers; the noise of the 
shoutings in the camp and their attention to 
feasting prevented the Amalekites from hear- 
ing the movements of their enemy. 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


307 


‘‘At length, when all was ready, David 
blew his trumpet, and his soldiers threw 
themselves upon the Amalekites. The sur- 
prise was complete, but the Amalekites, used 
to battles of this kind, hastily seized upon 
their weapons and sprang to meet the foe. 
David’s men cut their way into the centre 
of the camp and with a girdle of warriors 
surrounded the prisoners and the spoil of 
the Amalekites, so that no harm could be 
done them through revenge ; and tliis move- 
ment also placed the Amalekites between two 
lines of soldiers, and, being utterly ignorant 
of who or of how many their assailants 
might be, they fought for their lives as well 
as for their spoils. They fought desperately; 
all night long the battle continued. The 
light of the moon was clear enough for them 
easily to distinguish one another ; and when 
at length they comprehended that it was 
David and his warriors with whom they 
battled, they fought the more fiercely, 
seeking to wrest from so small a force the 
victory. 

“ Morning broke, and still the battle 
raged. Hour after hour passed, and both 


308 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


sides stubbornly sought to prevail. But day- 
light made it manifest that, while few of 
David’s men were injured, the ground was 
strewn with the Amalekite slain. Then the 
Amalekites made a break for the place where 
their camels were kept, and four hundred of 
them succeeded in mounting their camels. 
These, plunging into the desert toward the 
south, escaped, but all the others were slain 
in the battle. Thus David recovered all 
that was taken, and with most joyful shouts 
and loving embraces husbands met their 
wives and fathers their children. 

‘‘ Never before nor since in that desert 
was there an hour so fruitful in happiness 
to so many people as was that hour when 
four hundred men saved then* wives, children 
and flocks from the bondage of Egyptian 
slavery. When they came near the brook 
Besor, the two hundred who had become 
faint by the wayside came forth to meet Da- 
vid and welcome his victorious return, and 
David saluted and honored them as his true 
and beloved followers. 

‘‘ Now, however, the spirit of covetousness 
manifested itself. Certain in the host — sons 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


309 


of Belial, wicked men and not righteous — 
who had gone with David to the battle, made 
haste to say, ^ Because they went not with us, 
we will not give them aught of the spoil that 
we have recovered, save to every man his 
wife and children, that they may lead them 
away and depart.’ 

‘‘David would not submit to this arro- 
gance and to the dictation of wicked men, but, 
standing forth as a commander who would 
brook no opposition, declared, ‘ Ye shall not 
do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord 
hath given us, who hath preserved us, and 
delivered the company that came against us 
into our hands. For who will hearken unto 
you in this matter? but as his part is that 
goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be 
that tarrieth by the stuff : they shall part 
alike.’ 

“ The soldiers came to Ziklag and rested 
from their severe toils and marches before 
preparing to re-establish their own homes 
or to return to their homes the captives 
whom they had retaken. 

“On the third day after the victorious 
return the watchmen announced the rapid 


310 


FROM CA VE TO PALACE. 


approach of a man from the north. As he 
drew near it was seen that his clothes were 
rent and that earth was sprinkled upon his 
head. Coming into the presence of David, 
he fell down to the ground before him and 
did obeisance. David, astonished, said to 
him, ‘From whence comest thou?’ and the 
man answered, ‘ Out of the camp of Israel 
am I escaped.’ 

“ David’s heart beat wildly as he asked, 
‘How went the matter? I pray thee tell 
me.’ 

“The man answered, ‘The people are fled 
from the battle, and many of the people also 
are fallen and dead ; and Saul and Jonathan 
his son are dead also.’ 

“ David sought to control his feelings as 
he asked, ‘ How knowest thou that Saul and 
Jonathan his. son be dead ?’ 

“ The young man answered, ‘ As I hap- 
pened by chance upon Mount Gilboa, be- 
hold, Saul leaned upon his spear ; and, lo, 
the chariots and horsemen followed hard 
after him. And when he looked behind 
him, he saw me and called unto me, and I 
answered. Here am I. And he said unto 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


311 


me, Who art thou ? And I answered him. 
I am an Amalekite. He said unto me 
again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and 
slay me: for anguish is come upon me, 
because my life is yet whole in me. So I 
stood upon him, and slew him, because I 
was sure that he could not live after that he 
was fallen : and I took the crown that was 
upon his head, and the bracelet that was 
upon his arm, and have brought them hither 
unto my lord.’ 

‘‘ Thus, all doubt being removed of the 
death of the aged king of Israel, David took 
hold of his mantle and tore it, and his 
soldiers, following his example, gave the 
same token of their grief, and they wept 
and mourned and fasted until the sun went 
down because Saul and Jonathan his son 
and the people of the Lord and the house 
of Israel had fallen by the sword. 

‘‘In amazement the Amalekite beheld 
this scene ; instead of the joy which he had 
expected to see David manifest, there was 
grief, and that not merely an outward ap- 
pearance, but plainly from the heart. 

“ The next day David sent for the Amal- 


312 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


ekite to be brought into his presence. He 
came expecting to be honored and given a 
reward for bringing to David these tid- 
ings, but David with solemn aspect looked 
upon him and said, ‘ Whence art thou V to 
which he answered, ‘ I am the son of a 
stranger, an Amalekite.’ -dThen David in 
tones of sorrow and judgment said, ‘ How 
wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine 
hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed V Then, 
calling one of the young men of his guards, 
he said to him, ‘ Go near and fall upon 
him.’ 

The guard needed no second command, 
but with the stroke of instant retribution 
smote the Amalekite to the earth, and he 
died. David said, ‘ Thy blood be upon thy 
head ; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, 
saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.’ 

When the Amalekite had thus received 
his proper reward and all rejoicing was put 
aside, David withdrew into his tent; and 
when he came forth, he recited this song 
and commanded it to be taught to all the 
children of Judah. It is entitled ‘ The 
Song of the Bow :’ 


DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 


313 


“ ‘ Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places ! 

How are the mighty fallen ! 

Tell it not in Gath, 

Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon ; 

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice. 

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 

Ye mountains of Gilboa, 

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of ofier- 
ings: 

For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away. 

The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. 

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, 

The bow of Jonathan turned not back. 

And the sword of Saul returned not empty. 

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, 
And in their death they were not divided ; 

They were swifter than eagles, 

They were stronger than lions. 

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, 

Who clothed you in scarlet delicately. 

Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle I 
Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. 

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan : 

Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: 

Thy love to me was wonderful. 

Passing the love of women. 

How are the mighty fallen. 

And the weapons of war perished 1’ 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

DAVID CROWNED KINO IN HEBRON. 

TMMEDIATELY after the fact of the 
-L death of Saul and the scattering of the 
Israelitish host was made known the name 
of David sprang to the lips of the people. 
It was true that Abner, the general of the 
army, and Ish-hosheth, one of the sons of 
Saul, had escaped and had found refuge in 
the mountains of Gilead, where it was im- 
possible for the Philistines to follow, and 
Abner had at once proclaimed the name 
of this son of Saul as the king ; but he was 
followed by only a few of those who had to 
the end clung to the fortunes of Saul. 

By faithful friends David was kept well 
informed as to the feelings of the elders of 
Judah in this crisis, and the kindliness with 
which they received the gifts he had sent 
them, and the tenderness with which they 

314 


DAVID CROWNED KING IN HEBRON 315 

pronounced blessings upon his head, gave 
evidence that he above all others would 
receive their obeisance, such as faithful 
servants should render their own chosen 
king. 

“ As the friendship of the elders of Judah 
was the more plainly manifested, David was 
forced to decide whether he would be a king 
or continue merely captain of a band of 
roving freebooters. In this hour he realized 
that the Lord had opened a way before him, 
and that he was thus recognized as the serv- 
ant of the Lord. This had been his special 
claim before his followers, and with this 
understanding they had given him their 
reverence, and in this hour of supreme im- 
portance he realized that it must firmly be 
impressed upon their minds that back of his 
actions was the plainly-revealed command 
of his Lord. Neglect of this strict obe- 
dience to the Lord had caused SauFs rejec- 
tion ; attention to this had thus far given 
David brilliant success. 

^^Once more the camp was astir with 
preparation for the religious services neces- 
sary in seeking to know the will of the Lord. 


316 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


Abiathar, clothed in his sacred vestments 
as the consecrated high priest of the Lord, 
and wearing the ephod with the Urim and 
Thummim, came out before his captain and 
in the sanctity and majesty of his office 
waited to receive the question and ask the 
Lord his will concerning them. Every man 
in the host kept silent in respectful attitude 
during this scene, for the home and the 
nature of the life they would lead in the 
future depended upon that answer. 

‘‘David with trembling voice, in tones 
showing his fear of the Lord and faith in his 
word, asked, ‘ Shall I go up into any of the 
cities of J udah V 

“All looked steadfastly upon Abiathar as 
he gazed upon the Urim and Thummim, 
until the light of received revelation broke 
over his countenance, and he repeated the 
Lord’s will : ‘ Go up.’ 

“ Once more David asked direction. 
There were many cities in Judah out of 
which his followers had come ; in which of 
these should he make his home? 

“ Again came the answer : ‘ Unto Hebron.’ 

“ The response of the I^ord was followed 


DAVID CROWNED KING IN HEBRON. 317 


by the greatest excitement and bustle in the 
camp, as every family prepared to remove 
its possessions to the city indicated as its 
future home. The joint property of spoils 
taken in war was divided ; then David, ac- 
companied by his two wives, with his men 
and their families, followed by their flocks 
and possessions in the care of the slaves taken 
in their raids upon the enemies about them, 
went up out of the border-land into the 
mountains to Hebron, the dwelling-place of 
the elders of Judah. 

‘‘As David advanced the elders of the 
towns bordering the way came out to meet 
him and to welcome him into their land 
again. He found provisions freely furnished 
for his soldiers and the people all ready to 
call him their king, while the maidens again 
praised his name for his valiant deeds and 
lauded him as the hero of Israel. At length 
he came to Hebron, and, while he and his 
family were received into the city, after the 
wel comings were over his soldiers were given 
homes under the jurisdiction of Hebron ; so 
that all were within call to carry out the will 
of their lord. 


318 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


‘‘ Then the elders announced their purpose 
to make David their king, and runners were 
sent out into all the cities and towns of J u- 
dah, bidding the men of Judah come forth 
and recognize their king. 

‘‘ That was a great day when, in obedience 
to the summons of the elders, the people 
came forth in tens and in hundreds with new 
songs upon their lips and new courage in 
their hearts. The elders of Judah were not 
backward in realizing that the tribe from 
which the king came would be the most 
highly honored in all Israel, and they knew 
that David was the ablest in the entire 
membership of the tribes to enforce obedi- 
ence from the people. 

The ceremony of the coronation was 
marked by unusual Oriental brilliancy. 
Upon a high platform stood the elders of 
Judah. Some of them had known Sam- 
son, the hero-judge, and Samuel in his prime; 
now, with their gray hair streaming over 
their shoulders, they leaned upon their staffs 
and rejoiced in beholding the youthful Da- 
vid receive the token of kingship. The 
high priest, clothed in his official garments, 


DAVID CROWNED KING IN HEBRON 319 


received the horn of oil from the most ven- 
erable of the elders, and then solemnly emp- 
tied it upon the bared head of the chosen 
one, who, kneeling, with becoming humility 
accepted this second anointing as a ratifica- 
tion of the first, which years before had 
been bestowed upon him by the prophet 
Samuel in his father’s house in Bethlehem. 
Then the crown which King Saul had worn 
at the time of his death was brought forward 
and placed upon his head, and the services 
ended with the shouts, the dances and the 
feastings of the people. 

In our day we see about us the conse- 
quences of this victorious elevation of the 
son of Jesse. All the grandeur of Solomon’s 
kingdom, all the respect that is paid to him 
by the representatives of foreign powers, all 
this glittering wealth piled up in the palaces 
of Jerusalem, all the splendor in this mag- 
nificent temple, all the peace and comfort and 
prosperity which as a people we are now en- 
joying, are the result of the elevation of the 
great and good David. He was a dreamer, 
but his dreams were not idle fancies ; a poet, 
but his sayings were not mere boastings ; a 


320 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


warrior, but his mission was not merely to 
defeat a foe and to shout over a victory : he 
was a specially-chosen vessel of the Lord, 
endowed with wonderful faculties to develop 
the nation of Israel and to show to the world 
the true features of the Lord’s kingdom con- 
trasted with the kingdom of men. 

‘‘ The end has not come ; the promises of 
God are not yet all fulfilled : greater glory is 
to come ; for in the seed of David the whole 
earth will be blessed, and out of his seed will 
come One who shall rule the whole earth in 
righteousness and in peace.” 

As Barachel thus closed his narrative the 
young men, with hearty appreciation of his 
kindness, expressed their thanks, and then 
they returned to the city to witness in the 
glory of Solomon the ripe fruit from the 
seed planted by David. 


CHAPTER XXY. 

THE COMING OF THE AMBASSADORS. 

rpHE excitement was increased on the fol- 
-L lowing day by the arrival of several of 
the expected embassies. News of their com- 
ing had spread abroad, and all the city was 
in readiness to receive them with a mixt- 
ure of honor and of curiosity. 

The first to arrive were the ambassadors 
from the East, who had crossed the desert 
along the highway Solomon had lately ren- 
dered passable by the construction of the 
city Tadmor in the desert oasis. The first 
embassy was the Babylonian, representing 
the mysterious people dwelling near the 
mouth of the river Euphrates. They had 
within their territory the ruins of the great 
tower which men after the Flood built to es- 
cape destruction should another fiood occur. 
They came on camels of the most distin- 

21 321 


322 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


guished qualities both for size and for power 
of endurance, which seemed to be filled with 
pride as they bore their masters along. 

The ambassadors were distinguished from 
all others by the serenity of their counte- 
nances and the majesty of their bearing. 
The language spoken by these men and the 
peculiar fashion of their countenances in- 
dicated to the learned Barachel that they 
were the descendants of Ham — of whom 
the native Canaanites were also descendants — 
and their history showed that from the most 
early times they had studiously cultivated 
customs and characteristics differing from 
those of the children of Shem, to whom 
Israel belonged. 

These Babylonians were pre-eminently 
religious, and were skilled in a knowledge 
of the stars and of the motions of the 
planets by which the fates of men and of 
nations were decided. They were cordially 
welcomed by King Solomon, who was de- 
sirous of learning the mysteries of the 
heavenly bodies and the means of interpret- 
ing their motions. 

Following this embassy came the Assyr- 


THE COMING OF THE AMBASSADORS. 323 

ians, from the country immediately north 
of the Babylonians. These were the de- 
scendants of Shem, and in nature, customs 
and appearance were altogether different 
from the Babylonians. They rode on horses 
which were strong and swift ; they were 
soldiers of exceedingly fierce countenances ; 
they were armed with the most beautiful 
weapons ; their banners told of their victo- 
ries and their tents were adorned with the 
trophies they had taken in war. They had 
traditions of the marches of the ancients, 
their ancestors, throughout all nations, and 
they thirsted for the day to come when their 
armies would ravage the earth. The spoils 
of war were their delight, and nothing in 
Jerusalem interested them so much as the 
trophies of David’s conquests preserved in 
the armory in the massive House of Leba- 
non. As they rode through the streets in 
glittering array they seemingly unconscious- 
ly displayed the skill of their horseman- 
ship. 

Barachel was soon among the visitors 
as they dismounted from their horses to 
rest, and, expressing his admiration of their 


324 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


martial appearance, questioned them about 
the land from which they had come and the 
people who lived there, asking if all the 
people of Asshur were fond of war and all 
the people of Babylonia fond of study. 

One of the magi — an old man probably 
of the same age as Barachel — who was 
treated with the most profound respect by 
the others of the party, as if he were a 
prince among them (and, indeed, he was a 
prince in wisdom), answered Barachel; for 
he saw that not mere curiosity, but a love of 
wisdom, had prompted him in making his 
inquiries concerning them. The Babylonian 
said, 

“ Know ye, O Israelite, that I have come 
with these young men of our nation to see 
if it is true that your king is the wisest of 
all men, for such is the report that has come 
to our country. These men of Asshur have 
come to do honor to the son of David, for 
throughout their land it is said that David 
was the greatest of all warriors. The won- 
derful rise of the city of Jerusalem has also 
been told to us, and we have come to see its 
splendor ; for if within one man’s lifetime Is- 


THE COMING OF THE AMBASSADORS. 325 

rael has risen from caves in the clefts of the 
rocks to stately palaces, under a king the 
greatest of all warriors, and at the same 
time the singer of the sweetest songs ever 
heard and the father of a son who is the 
most beautiful of men, and wiser, too, than 
any other man, and who has had written 
thousands of proverbs to express his wis- 
dom, — it is a small matter for us to come this 
distance if we can see all this glory and carry 
back to our people some of this overflowing 
wisdom from the son of so mighty a warrior. 

‘‘As to our country, know you that it is 
very different from this. Our plains are 
watered by canals and our fields bear the 
richest grain, while our rivers, our canals 
and our artificial lakes are bordered with the 
most fruitful trees. It is easy for the people 
to earn a living, and there are so many peo- 
ple in our land that the kings have them 
engaged in building great walls about our 
cities, or immense temples in which we 
place the records of our conquests and our 
studies. But, with all our greatness, our 
numbers and our works, we have noth- 
ing so beautiful as the temple of Jehovah, 


326 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


nor anything so attractive as these elegant 
palaces of the princes of Israel. Our plains 
are dotted with towns, but our people are 
of slavish minds and fit only to build or to 
battle at the command of a superior class, 
while here I perceive that only foreigners 
or Canaanites are enslaved, while every man 
of Israel, be he poor or rich, is as a prince 
in his rights and as a priest in his devotion 
to his religion.” 

Now was heard a shout which spread from 
one crowd to another. Barachel was sepa- 
rated from the magian, and, borne onward 
by the crowd, was unable again to find him. 
He did not have time to regret this, for his 
attention was taken up by a procession com- 
ing along which proved to be an embassy 
from Egypt. 

This embassy would not have attracted 
so much attention if it had not represented 
its country in an altogether new light. The 
daughter of Pharaoh was one of the wives 
of King Solomon, and he had greatly hon- 
ored her in giving her a separate palace and 
in allowing her to worship according to the 
religion of her own land. Through this to 


THE C0311NG OF THE AMBASSADORS. 327 


some extent the Egyptian people and customs 
were well known in Jerusalem. The story 
of Joseph and of Moses, of tlie going down 
into and the coming up out of Egypt, was also 
well known ; but on this occasion the Egyp- 
tians sought to appear in especial splendor, 
because they knew they would be contrasted 
with the ambassadors from the nations of the 
East. 

The Egyptians rode on horses — not the 
large, bold, warlike breed such as the Assyr- 
ians j^ossessed, but dainty, delicately-formed, 
fleet-footed horses, prouder, more intelligent 
and more graceful than the Assyrian. The 
Egyptians rode in stately array, in close col- 
umns, all the troop moving in precisely the 
same manner, showing the beauty of thor- 
ough drill and an unquestioned submission 
to the word of their commander. 

As Barachel was looking upon the specta- 
cle with admiration he was touched on the 
shoulder, and, looking about him, saw the 
magian, who asked him what strangers were 
these in whom the people seemed so interested. 

Barachel replied. 

These are Egyptians, but I am surprised 


328 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


that you should not know them, for, like 
yourself, they are the children of Ham ; and, 
indeed, your country was settled by explorers 
from Egypt, who, traveling by water, arrived 
at your country, and, ascending your river 
Euphrates, settled in that land.’’ 

The Babylonian replied, 

‘‘ Indeed, I should have known them, but 
in many respects they are different from any 
Egyptians of whom I have ever heard. Be- 
sides that, there have been so many changes 
in Egyptian dynasties that I do not know 
just who they are or to what dynasty they 
belong. But can you tell me about their 
land? for I have heard but little concern- 
ing it.” 

Barachel replied, 

‘‘ Yes, I can tell you of their land. They 
are not strangers to us, for our ancestors 
spent several generations in Egypt, and 
finally came from thence into this land by 
the special help of the Lord of heaven, and 
since that time the story of that coming out 
has been continually rehearsed in the ears of 
our people. It is a land of wonderful fer- 
tility and has many peculiar features. In the 


THE COMING OF THE AMBASSADORS. 329 


midst of it is the marvelous river Nile, which 
is many thousands of miles in length, flow- 
ing from the mountains in the South to the 
great sea in the North — a course exactly op- 
posite to the direction taken by the rivers in 
your land. Once a year the Nile overflows 
its banks and waters the whole land, and it 
is this overflow which makes the country so 
fertile. The land — the soil of which is black 
mud — receives its moisture by the river’s 
overflow, as no rain falls there. The valley 
along this river is densely populated, and — as 
in your own land — the people easily obtain 
enough to eat. On this account the land 
would be full of idleness if the rulers did not 
employ hundreds of thousands of the people 
in digging canals and lakes or in building 
temples and palaces of one kind or another. 
Along this river they have many great cities, 
in which there is displayed more beauty than 
anywhere else on earth except in Jerusalem. 
Near Noph, or Memphis, are several great 
pyramids, the highest of which is nearly 
five hundred feet, and it is one of the won- 
ders of the world. At Thebes, farther up 
the river, are many beautiful temples, in 


330 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


which all the graces of architecture and 
painting are seen, and by which the glory 
of their religion is made to appear in such 
a light as to dazzle the minds of the people 
and to command their deepest reverence. 
But the Egyptians are a treacherous people, 
and are continually at war with their neigh- 
bors. Their kings are mighty in battle, 
their priests are learned in mysteries, their 
wise men have a profound knowledge of 
science, their temples are magnificent, their 
pyramids exceed in bulk anything else on the 
earth, their antiquity is venerable, yet they are 
not so great as we might suppose. They repre- 
sent the greatness of the past age ; Jerusalem 
represents the greatness of the present day. 
Their pyramids show what immense masses 
of men can do ; our temples show what skill 
and art can accomplish. Their priesthood 
shows the influence which men can wield over 
others through the power of superstition ; 
our priesthood shows the dignity of every 
individual believer.’’ 

Barachel could say no more, for once 
again the crowd had separated him from his 
magian friend. 


CHAPTER XXyi. 


THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 

B ARACHEL had not gone very far before 
he met a merchant from Tyre with 
whom he was acquainted, and from whom 
he had learned many things, concerning the 
most distant parts of the earth. 

The commercial relations between Tyre 
and Jerusalem were of the most intimate 
nature, and Hiram, the king of Tyre, was 
as a brother to Solomon. David had won 
the respect of the Tyrians by conquering the 
Philistines, who up to his day had been an 
unconquerable people, and Solomon contin- 
ued the commercial intimacy by furnishing 
Tyre with corn and oil in return for cedar- 
wood and precious metals. He also ex- 
changed some of his cities for Tyrian work- 
men and sailors, and it was the workers in 
brass from the foundries in Tyre that 
shaped the beautiful brazen ornaments for 

331 


332 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


the temple. Thus the presence of Tyrians 
in Jerusalem was a common sight, and one 
not displeasing to the people. 

The Tyrians boasted that their city was 
the best- fortified city in all the earth, for it 
was built upon a rock out in the sea and 
could be attacked only by ships ; but no na- 
tion could thus attack them, because all the 
Tyrians were used to the sea and were 
skilled in the management of vessels from 
childhood, and Tyre owned so many vessels 
that they could drive away whatever foe 
should come against them. They claimed 
that the sea was a better defence to Tyre 
than were the mountains to Jerusalem or 
than was the desert- waste to Tadmor. Al- 
though they worked for the building of 
the temple to Jehovah, they worshiped the 
god Melkarth, who ruled over the sea, and 
to him they gave such extravagant gifts as 
to excel all other people in worshiping ex- 
cept Solomon, who in this particular even 
exceeded them ; but they boasted that their 
temple was the oldest known among men, 
while Solomon’s temple was the most recent. 
There was this difference between the people 


THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 


333 


of the two nations: the Israelites delighted 
in remaining at home, while the Tyrians 
delighted in roving over the seas and in 
learning the peculiarities of all other na- 
tions. 

The merchant had brought with him a 
number of slaves — for all along the coasts 
of the great sea, from all the people, who 
were incessantly engaged in war, the Tyrians 
obtained slaves for their great slave-market 
— and, as Barachel desired a slave to assist 
him, he at once went with the merchant to 
see if he could find one to suit him. The 
slaves were drawn up in line before him, 
and he finally chose one who was young, 
supple and intelligent, and who also had a 
cheerful disposition. He was an Ionian, 
and had been made captive in battle and 
sold to the Tyrians. 

Barachel took his slave home with him 
and engaged in conversation with him, when 
the young man related many things concern- 
ing the wars and the victories of the Greeks. 
He told how the combined armies of the 
Greeks had captured the city of Troy nearly 
two hundred years before ; how they had 


334 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


then improved their own condition, and had 
cultivated art, music and poetry, and that 
even at this present time a great minstrel 
named Homer was going with the most stir- 
ring war-songs among the nations chanting 
the praises of the heroes of the Trojan 
war. The lonians were now moving in a 
mighty migration from the neighborhood of 
the ruins of Troy toward the river Euphra- 
tes on their way to a far-distant land of 
which they had heard, even the ends of the 
earth, called India, where precious stones 
were plentiful and where all the fruits of the 
earth grew in abundance. The Greeks were 
the great travelers on land, even as the Tyr- 
ians were on the water. 

Barachel was much pleased with his 
slave, and he clothed him as a son and 
learned from him many things and heard 
him recite his verses. 

The Greek was beautiful to look upon. 
His skin was very fair, his brow was bold, 
his nose was slender and straight, his eyes 
were of deepest blue, his hair was of light 
color and curling. The glance of his eye 
was quick, his body was supple in action and 


THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 335 

his entire manner was animated. A smile 
perpetually played on his lips, and his bear- 
ing toward his master was most tender and 
considerate; hence Barachel was the more 
inclined to treat him as a son, and took him 
with him everywhere to wait upon him. 

The light-hearted nature of the Greek 
seemed to cast off all thoughts of privation 
in his slavery, and he was quick to see some- 
thing amusing in the appearance of every 
one. Barachel many times could not resist 
the inclination to smile at the quaint remarks 
of his slave, but he loved him all the more 
for his pleasantness, and, calling the elders, 
had them write down the decree that when 
he died his slave should become free, and a 
sufficient amount of money be given him to 
enable him to return to his people. 

A new excitement was now breaking forth 
in the city, and the Greek, running into the 
presence of his master, informed him that 
all the people were talking at the same time 
and hastening to the northern gate of the 
city, toward the road that led to Jericho. 
Barachel informed him that the couriers had 
announced the coming of the queen of Sheba 


336 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


to visit Solomon. The Greek had never 
heard of this queen nor of her dominions ; 
it surely could not be from any part of the 
world with which he was familiar. 

Barachel said, 

No ; you would not in all your travels 
hear of this queen, for she comes from the 
South, and between her dominions and this 
country are the vast deserts of sand, and 
only the strong-limbed camels can travel 
over this great distance. The ships of King 
Solomon from his port at Elath can go there, 
but not the ships of the Tyrians, for their 
ships are on the great sea that is separated 
by the land from the dominions of this vis- 
iting queen. She comes from the uttermost 
parts of the earth, where gold and precious 
stones and spices are as abundant as the ce- 
dars on Lebanon or the oaks in Judah, and 
out of her dominions Solomon has already 
received great accessions to his wealth and 
his splendor. The people of Jerusalem are 
intensely interested in her coming, because 
she is very wise and has a great number of 
wise men in her train, and she has come to 
see whether Solomon is able to answer her 


THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 


337 


questions or to solve the riddles of her wise 
men or to equal the magnificence which she 
can present. But we too will go forth and 
witness her coming, for such a sight will not 
soon be seen again even in the dominions of 
the great Solomon.” 

Barachel and the Ionian therefore went 
forth and followed the crowds of people who 
were going out of the city to where they 
might behold the approaching queen with- 
out danger of being crushed against the walls 
of the houses by the great multitude. 

The story of this queen’s magnificent 
array had reached the city, and it had 
grown more extravagant with each place 
through which it had passed. Far out on 
the road the royal guards were drawn out in 
order to meet and to escort the visitors into 
the city ; with these were the king’s trum- 
peters, and the blowing of their trumpets 
would announce to the king in his palace the 
moment when the visitors appeared in sight. 

Many of the people had gone to the sum- 
mit of the hill over which the visitors were 
coming, and there saw the train as it ap- 
proached. It stopped at the foot of the hill 
22 


338 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


while the new-comers prepared to present 
themselves properly before the king. When 
at length the train appeared on the hill, a 
thousand trumpets sounded the fullness of 
the king’s welcome, and this was answered 
by many trumpets and players on musical 
instruments who rode at the head of the 
queen’s procession. 

This was indeed the most wonderful com- 
pany that had ever entered the city of Jeru- 
salem. It was a great train of camels, for in 
crossing the deserts all rode upon these valu- 
able beasts. In the advance were the musi- 
cians, having the harness of their camels trim- 
med with bells of gold, which made sweet 
music as they marched along, while the riders 
blew their trumpets, rattled their timbrels 
and shouted choruses in harmony with their 
stringed instruments. When these had 
passed, another group of camels bore the 
wise men of the court of the queen — men 
who were deeply versed in the mysteries of 
Oriental thought, and who from a diligent 
study of the ancients were ready to pro- 
pound to Solomon questions such as had 
never yet received comprehensive answers ; 


THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 


339 


they were clothed in robes of purple trim- 
med with cords of gold. Next came hun- 
dreds of the sons and daughters of the no- 
bles of the queen’s kingdom, with their 
camels elaborately trimmed and themselves 
decorated with robes of various colors trim- 
med with precious stones of glittering hues. 
Then came the court of the queen, her coun- 
selors, her maidens, her royal household, all 
on magnificent camels and glittering with 
the abundance of the precious stones adorn- 
ing the most handsome garments. 

The queen was in the midst of her court, 
reclining in an elaborately-trimmed and 
decorated couch arranged upon tlie camel 
she rode, so that with every step of the 
animal it moved as gracefully as a boat 
moves upon the waves of the sea. The 
royal camel was snow-white in color and of 
the most muscular kind known, and by the 
dignity of its deportment seemed to realize 
that it carried the queen. 

Following the court was a body of nobles 
armed as trained soldiers, with swords hang- 
ing by their sides, long spears in their hands, 
short swords in sheaths fastened to their 


340 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


saddles, and following them came a long 
train of camels bearing the baggage and the 
gifts of the queen and her court. Some 
camels were laden with great burdens of 
precious stones, some with gold, many with 
spices of various kinds, many with precious 
woods of various kinds and many with hand- 
some cloths, such as the finest silks of their 
land. These were followed by more soldiers, 
who with fierce countenances brandished their 
weapons and showed that the precious cargo 
of their caravan was well protected, for at 
any moment they were ready to battle with 
any foe that should dare disturb them. 
Thus came this great queen to visit Solomon. 

The Greek slave was spellbound with 
astonishment. Such an array of camels, 
such splendor of garments, he had never 
before seen, and it filled him with amaze- 
ment; but Barachel said, 

‘‘This is indeed great and magnificent, 
but wait until you behold the glory of our 
king, and you will see that the queen of 
Sheba, with all her splendor, is not to be 
considered his equal.” 


CHAPTER XXyil. 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 

T he day appointed by the king for the 
triumphal display of his glory before 
the honorable visitors from the nations about 
Israel was at hand. It was to be a season 
of public rejoicings, for the glory of the 
king could not be complete unless the peo- 
ple were partakers with him in the pride 
and the joy of the occasion. 

The queen of Sheba with her courtiers, 
the ambassadors from Egypt, Tyre, Asshur 
and Babylon, visitors from hundreds of 
little kingdoms and cities from every direc- 
tion, and the courtiers of King Solomon 
w^ere assembled in the House of the For- 
est of Lebanon, in the Armory and in the 
Porch. 

The Armory was a magnificent room, 
one hundred and fifty feet long and seventy- 
five feet wide, enclosed by a wall of polished 

341 


342 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


stones and adorned with a profusion of 
immense pillars from lofty Lebanon ce- 
dars. Around the walls of this room were 
grouped the battle-flags of conquered nations 
and the reserve arms of the soldiers of King 
Solomon, in waiting if the battle-call should 
again sound. The Porch was ninety feet 
long and forty-flve feet broad ; one part of 
it was a colonnade — roofed in, but open at 
the sides — leading to the other part, the 
Hall of Judgment. In this hall was the 
royal throne, the most wonderful throne in 
the world. It was on the top of a platform, 
six steps above the floor of the hall. The 
back of the throne was arched ; each of the 
two arms of the throne was decorated with a 
life-sized lion, and two life-sized lions stood 
on each of the steps leading to the throne. 
The throne was covered with beaten gold, 
with inlaid decorations in ivory, and the 
lions were covered with gold. All the walls 
of this magnificent palace were built of 
great square-hewn blocks of marble; the 
floors, ceilings and inside walls were of 
cedar; the walls, pillars and ceilings were 
decorated with precious stones in settings of 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


343 


purest gold and ornate work of finest gold 
and silver. The pillars were ornamented 
with lilies and vines and fruits in gold and 
silver of such delicate workmanship that 
they seemed to move with the gentle breezes 
that swept through the rooms, some of which 
were wainscoted with a series of different- 
colored stones highly polished and fairly 
glittering with the splendor of their decora- 
tions. There were curtains, too, of the finest 
linen, with embroidery-work in the richest 
colors, and the entire palace displayed a 
profusion of designs in blue, yellow and 
scarlet. The atmosphere of the palace was 
redolent with the sweetest perfumes, and 
from the fountains in the court of the palace 
the most gentle strains of minstrel-harmonies 
seemed to blend with the music of the fall- 
ing waters. It was here that the queen 
of Sheba listened to the wisdom of Solo- 
mon, here that she poured before him the 
deep thoughts of her heart, here that her 
wise men uttered their mystical proverbs, 
and it was from this magnificent throne 
that Solomon gave such answers to her ques- 
tions as filled the queen with astonishment 


344 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


and proved to her that his wisdom was 
beyond all her power of gauging. 

The display of Solomon’s glory began 
with religious exercises, for Solomon at this 
time was a devout worshiper of Jehovah. 
When the silver trumpets sent their sweet 
sounds through the palace, the courtiers 
arranged themselves in proper station, and the 
ambassadors were given their places in the 
procession. The king came down from the 
throne, and, while the sons of Asaph chanted 
sacred psalms, walked reverentially past the 
court of the palace, with its gardens and 
fountains, into a subterranean passage, two 
hundred and fifty feet long and forty-two 
feet wide, which led into the court of the 
temple. This wonderful excavation — now 
formed into a most beautiful arcade — was 
filled with displays of the most cunning 
workmanship and fairly dazzled the eye by 
its splendor. The queen, accustomed though 
she was to richness of design in buildings 
and in decorations, gazed in astonishment at 
this evidence of Solomon’s taste and Avealth. 

From this causeway the glittering throng 
entered the court of the temple and saw the 

23 


THBJ GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


345 


front of the white marble sanctuary with its 
glistening golden roof and its front of the 
most elaborately embroidered curtains. Be- 
fore this, in the court, was the brazen altar, 
about which the .priests were performing 
their duties and going from the service here 
to the curtained sanctuary behind the altar. 

The offering of the king was then seen — 
oxen, sheep and goats — in flocks consisting of 
hundreds of each kind, every animal of the 
most perfect form and cleanly appearance, 
without sign of imperfection on any of 
them. They were the most valuable that 
could be obtained — the purest breeds, the 
most carefully nurtured, the admiration of 
all who beheld them. These were so beau- 
tiful and excellent that they were considered 
the most suitable of all offerings for the Lord 
God who ruled Israel as her true King. The 
priests, too, were clothed in raiment of the 
finest material and of the most splendid col- 
ors. The high priest fiiirly glittered with 
the gems upon his shoulders and breast. 
With all there was so much majesty, such a 
true spirit of devotion, such intelligence and 
prayer, that again the queen of Sheba felt 


346 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


that on the earth no king commanded either 
greatness or purity of worship such as she 
had seen in this grand temple of the Israel- 
ites. From this service the queen returned 
to the palace, and upon an elevated seat on the 
porch in front of the court of the palace 
awaited the procession in which the glories 
of the kingdom were to pass before her. 

The procession was a great picture of the 
breadth of the kingdom, and in it were 
many things heretofore unseen by the people 
and now shown to them as the most vivid 
proofs of the glory of their king. Surprises 
were relished by the people whose fathers 
had never been off their native mountains. 

The parade was led by the horsemen of 
the king, of whom there were twelve thou- 
sand ; these were followed by the chariots of 
war, to the number of fourteen hundred, 
which he had collected out of his various 
chariot-cities for this great parade. Then 
came two hundred men, each man bearing a 
buckler or a target made of beaten gold and 
worth about four hundred dollars. There 
were also three hundred men, each of whom 
bore a shield of beaten gold worth about 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


347 


half as much as the others. These shields 
were kept in the House of the Forest of 
Lebanon when not used in parade. Follow- 
ing these were the slaves of the king, ar- 
ranged according to- their nations — slaves 
from all the old Canaanite tribes, slaves 
from the nations conquered by David, slaves 
purchased from caravans and from the Tyrian 
markets, slaves representing all nations — men 
who were yellow, black, red, white, now 
dressed in their native costumes and carry- 
ing in their hands or upon their heads some 
fancy article from their own land. Follow- 
ing these were the animals out of the king’s 
menagerie, in which were given forms of life 
from mountain, desert and river — lions, 
bears, foxes, hyaenas, wild goats, alligators, 
hippopotami, ostriches, elephants, camels, 
monkeys, peacocks and many others; for 
the merchants, knowing the king’s zeal in 
study, were careful to obtain whatever they 
could that was strange or curious, sure of a 
handsome reward for such service. Then 
came an immense drove of asses laden with 
the products of all nations and the manufac- 
tures of all people. These were followed by 


348 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


the king’s treasurers with asses laden with 
treasures to display his wealth and the 
mighty resources of his kingdom. Then 
came a body of slaves bearing the gifts he 
had received — for no man came unto the 
king without a gift in his hand — and these 
comprised the most beautiful things out of 
all nations. After these came people of the 
tribes of Israel, bearing the choicest products 
and possessions of the tribes. Then came 
the musicians — those who made beautiful 
melody in camp and in palace — bearing their 
instruments with them and discoursing mu- 
sic as they marched along. These were fol- 
lowed by slaves leading great flocks of ani- 
mals dedicated to the slaughter; for these 
were the king’s gift to the people for them 
to enjoy a seven days’ feast in honor of the 
prosperity and peace which the Lord had 
given to their kingdom. Then came the 
people in mixed masses, pressing on from 
every side to see more of this wonderful 
parade and to feast their eyes upon the glory 
of their king. 

After the queen of Sheba had beheld such 
a wonderful display of the power, the pros- 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


349 


perity and the resources of the king, she 
said, 

It was a true report that I heard in mine 
own land of thy sayings, and of thy wisdom. 
Howbeit I believed not the words, until I 
came, and mine eyes had seen it ; and, be- 
hold, the half was not told me : thy wisdom 
and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I 
heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these 
thy servants, which stand continually before 
thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be 
the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, 
to set thee on the throne of Israel ; because 
the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore 
made he thee king, to do judgment and 
justice.’’ 

The queen then commanded her slaves to 
approach and lay down before King Solo- 
mon her gifts, which consisted of gold worth 
several millions of dollars — one hundred and 
twenty talents of gold ; of precious stones — 
such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, agates, 
pearls and the most valuable gems of the 
East; also spices such as only her dominions 
could produce, and in such quantity that 
afterward no merchants could equal. Thus 


350 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


she honored Solomon because of his great- 
ness and his wisdom. 

Then came the feasts of the people, and 
from thousands of fires the smell of roasting 
flesh and the smoke thereof ascended toward 
the heavens. The poets recited the praises 
of the king, the harpists sang to his glory, 
the people shouted forth their delight in his 
name, and all the ambassadors from foreign 
nations confessed that his magnificence ex- 
ceeded that of all other kings. 

The king’s resources seemed to be con- 
stantly increasing. His caravans were nev- 
er disturbed by the Bedouin of the desert 
and his ships prospered on every sea. They 
brought to him immense supplies of gold 
from Ophir, also precious stones and the 
beautiful aromatic sandal-wood which was so 
greatly admired by the ladies of his court. 
Presents came to him in such abundance 
from the nations about him that he made 
silver to be plentiful in Jerusalem as stones 
in the street, and gold so abundant that 
nearly everything about the temple and the 
royal palace was made of gold or covered 
with beaten gold, and cedar became as com- 


THE GLORY OF SOLOMON. 


351 


mon with the workers in wood as the oaks 
in the valleys of Judah, while linen yarn 
from Egypt was a common article of mer- 
chandise. 

Barachel’s Greek slave gazed upon this 
magnificence, and then said, 

“ Verily, I am in a dream, for this is like 
the pictures told by the poets who try to ex- 
cel one another in the brilliancy of their 
imaginings. Here is the wisest man, the 
richest king, the most magnificent court, the 
most beautiful person, living in the most 
stately palace and worshiping in the most 
gorgeous temple — in every particular the 
most wonderful in the world.’’ 

Barachel was pleased with the sentiments 
expressed by the Greek, and replied. 

It is the smile of Jehovah upon his peo- 
ple. When they disobeyed his commands, 
forgot his law and neglected his worship, he 
gave them over to the hands of their ene- 
mies. They were then trodden down, their 
lands were devastated, their wealth was ta- 
ken from them and they were driven into the 
caves and the holes in the rocks. Then God 
in his mercy raised up David. He took him 


352 


FROM CAVE TO PALACE. 


from the sheepfold, he reduced him to the 
most abject poverty, he stripped him of 
home, possessions, friends, family, and al- 
most of reason ; then he raised him up and 
gave him a name which is above every name 
for the excellence of his qualities and the 
greatness of his renown. And all this 
splendor which we now see is the crown of 
the prosperity which began the day when 
David went into the cave and God turned 
his face toward the palace.’’ 


THE END. 


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